Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

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Some years ago, I commented on a woman’s cross necklace. She half-heartedly thanked me for the compliment. Although it was “nice gift” she said, she went on to say that she told her husband that she really wanted one with the naked man on it, because that looks “hot”. Yes, shockingly, this is a true story. This twenty something woman was raised Catholic and received all the sacraments. How could she possibly not know who the “naked man” was on the cross! I was stunned, bamboozled, and paralyzed by her comment. I told her who the “naked man” was and she simply chuckled off my response. I am sure she was taught what a crucifix was, but she obviously chose not to believe. How sad is that?

The same goes for the forgiven servant in the Gospel. The servant’s choice to not forgive after he was forgiven is a shocker to the reader. Seriously, who would do such a thing? Well, we do. The parables are often used as a mirror to ourselves. Unfortunately, our selfishness gets in the way of our love for God. Consequently, when we don’t love our Creator it manifests itself in various hurtful ways, like the actions of the forgiven servant.

In the Hebrew Scriptures the reader is admonished often to NOT forget the covenant that God has made with them; for when they do, death and destruction follow. God never forgets His end of the sacred promise — good thing for us! At the same time, a merciful God does not mean that there are no consequences for our actions. Sin has a ripple effect. At the same time however, love, goodness, mercy, and forgiveness can also ripple through our lives. We are forgiven, we are loved, we are saved, and Jesus reminds us that we are to behave as such. Lent is a good time to reflect on how we treat others. If we are to be Christ in the world, then gosh, there will be a whole lot of forgiveness going on! Yes, that would be a shocker — a good one!

Michael P. Ward, OFM, MDiv., M.A.