Homily For Tuesday Third Week of Lent Year A, 10th March, 2026

 

Readings: Dan 3:2.11-20, Ps. 25, Matt.18:21-35

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE DANGER OF UNFORGIVENESS

In our Lord’s prayer, which Jesus gave us as a pattern of all prayers and as a fundamental principle of Christian living, there is a portion that points out something so important. This portion says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matt. 6:12). By this prayer, we are making a covenant and commitment that will be a standard by which we are going to be judged as regards our relationship with others and with God. But often times we are not conscious of these principles, especially when we have to face the difficult moment of forgiving a grievous offence.

Thus, Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, being conscious of this fact, asked Jesus in our Gospel passage today, saying: ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy times seven. And he practicalized his answer with an example of a servant who owed his master a great debt that he and his generation cannot pay.

But when he pleaded for mercy, the master forgave him all the debts. However, this same servant found a fellow servant who owed him as little as one hundred denarii, he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him and even when he pleaded for mercy, instead of forgiving him, he put him in prison according to the norms of the law until he had paid his debt.

This unforgiven servant did to his fellow servant what the master could have done to him, but did not. So, when the master heard how he treated his fellow servant, handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debts.” Jesus then said, this is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’ For God will apply the principle he has given us in our Lord’s Prayer, which will automatically put us where we properly belong based on how we have related with others.

In this story, we see the extreme estimate of the debt the servant owed his master, ten thousand talents. Even if he and his family had to work their whole life, they would never have been able to pay that debt. So, that’s a huge amount compared to the hundred denarii his fellow servant owed him; in fact, there was no comparison between the two debtors at all.

However, this will help us to understand the dangers of Unforgiveness and expose to us the consequences of this ugly attitude. It also helps us to understand that our debt before God is so huge and countless that we cannot pay it. Therefore we are bound, then, to have pity on others and forgive them from our hearts just as God had pity on us and forgives us our sins, for this is the only way to salvation.

Dear friends, there is no doubt that forgiving a grievous offence can be very difficult, but when this is done, it is like recovering a lost treasure that contains joy, peace, freedom and healing. That is why we must learn to forgive others from our hearts. Hence, are there people we have vowed not to forgive? Have people hurt us so much that we can’t forgive them? Have we offended people and cannot be humble enough to ask for their forgiveness? Do we think that our sins are so huge that God cannot forgive them? Are we finding it difficult to forgive those who have offended us?

This Holy season of Lent, we need to pray for God’s grace and courage to forgive people who have offended us, knowing that we are rebellious and proud people, and we lack the courage and disposition to forgive. So today, Jesus is asking us to learn how to forgive others always and unconditionally from our hearts, so that God will also forgive us always and unconditionally.

Therefore, we must never refuse to forgive or reject an offer of reconciliation in our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings and if this becomes difficult, bring it to Jesus in prayer just like Daniel in our first reading today when he prayed saying may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you as holocausts of rams and bullocks.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, today you have made us realise how unlimited your mercy is, as you exposed how huge our debts are in comparison with the little debts of forgiveness others owe us. As we make it a habit to forgive from the debt of our hearts all those who have offended us, may we discover and experience the hidden treasures that forgiveness brings. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a grace-filled day.