Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 18: 21 – 19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Imagine Saint Peter cautiously approaching Jesus. The good news / bad news is that Peter has another question. He’s held onto it as long as he can. 

Afraid of how Jesus might answer – and rightly so – Peter finally swallows the lump in his throat and summons the courage to ask:

“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Peter didn’t just pick a number; according to Jewish tradition, seven was considered the outward limit of generosity.

“I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times,” Jesus says. Meaning, without limit.

I’d imagine Peter looked down at the ground, shuffled his feet, slid his hands back into his pockets, and exhaled exasperated, thinking to himself, “Well, that’s simply impossible.”

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It seems Peter has yet to learn the inner dynamics of forgiveness. 

So, Jesus tells him a parable about a king whose servants were subject to his authority. One of the king’s servants owed him an incredible amount of money – a debt so large the man never could’ve repaid it.

Because of his compassion, the king released the man from his debt. But when the man got home, he choked someone else who owed him a much smaller debt – pennies on the dollar. 

When word got back to the king, he was enraged for the man’s pettiness and punished him severely.

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In the parable, God is the king and we are his subjects. Because the Lord forgives us our every trespass, he expects us to extend that same kindness towards others. But this begs the question, “Why is it so difficult for us to forgive other people?”

While there may be a variety of reasons, perhaps one may be this – we haven’t felt genuinely forgiven by God. Only those who’ve experienced this interior freedom, this fruit of grace, can extend that same kindness to others. 

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Do I feel forgiven by God for my past or present sins? Has this freed me to forgive others? 

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May we forgive others from the heart, lest we forfeit God’s own forgiveness towards us. 

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Image credits: (1) Harvard Gazette (2) No Longer Lukewarm (3) Medium

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Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that  every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Conflict is part of the human experience. Some people avoid it at all costs while others may seek it out.

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When we argue – especially with family members – it’s easy to dig in, clinging to the need to be right. And after an argument concludes, there’s often the aftermath of silence as resentment is buried in our hearts. 

If these hurt feelings are not addressed quickly, then they become quite acidic, which is what Jesus is addressing in today’s Gospel. “If your brother or sister sins against you, go tell them!” 

He doesn’t say, “Play the silent game… Insult them… Or, gradually grow apart.” 

No, tell them, because there is nothing more important to the Lord than unity within the Christian community. We are relational beings who need each other, even if we disagree every so often.

As Saint Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians (a community that risked division), “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”

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Are there any unresolved conflicts in my personal life? Is there any way they might be resolved?

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To resolve a conflict, sometimes we need to make the first move.

In the very least, we can pray for our brothers and sisters – for their peace, for their salvation, and for an openness to the unity which Christ longs for us to share.

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Image credits: (1) SoundCloud (2) WalklikeJesus, WordPress (3) Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope

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Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Who do you know more about, Saint Francis of Assisi or Saint Clare?

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Most of us would probably say, “Saint Francis of Assisi.”

He was a lover of animals; he started the Franciscans; he was an itinerant preacher; he lived in Italy; and he wrote that fabulous prayer, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

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But what about Saint Clare, whose feast day we celebrate today? 

Both Francis and Clare were born into wealthy Italian families. Both jettisoned their fortunes to follow the Lord. Both are considered Saints. 

They were also best friends.

Clare was drawn to Francis’ deep spirit and jovial nature. In fact, they became so close that she founded a second order of the Franciscans, the Poor Clares. To this day, both religious orders remain active around the world, some 800 years later.

What draws me to Clare is the fact that she’s the lesser known of the two Saints; a bit like a drummer in a band, as opposed to the lead singer. 

Although she and Francis both helped to rebuild and reform the Church; although they both left everything behind to follow Jesus, Francis receives most of the recognition.

And for Clare, that was okay. She didn’t need the spotlight; she was content playing a supporting role, seeking only to glorify God with her life.

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Clare’s example leaves us several questions to ponder.

Like her, do I seek to glorify God with my life? Am I content with going unnoticed, or do I need recognition for doing good?

Do I have a holy friend like Francis, someone who points me closer to God? Am I that friend for others?

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Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Clare of Assisi, Wikipedia (2) Renovaré (3) Dreamstime.com