Seventy Times Seven

THEN PETER approaching 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 times seven times.

Matthew 18: 21-22
---<--@

We all know that this is not a rote mathematical equation that says one has to count 490 times before it becomes all right not to forgive others as well as self. Please, my beloved Christian brethren and sisters, let us not be hypocrites in the face of our Lord, the holy angels and our fellow human beings.

I believe that "seventy times seven means" to forgive "all the time" and to do so "perfectly" every time.

It can be a real struggle to do this, I know. But one who loves our most loving Lord will struggle on and on and on and though one may stumble numerous times, forgiving and being forgiven in turn, one never despairs, carrying forth with Christ and with one another his or her crosses together until the Gospel deed is done. For he or she knows from the words of Christ Himself that with man it is indeed impossible but nothing is impossible to those who cling to God and put their absolute trust in Him.

But forgiving is not totally and naively forgetting. When we forgive, we completely forget about our anger but we still have to deal with the pain which will never be reconciled to our peace if we do not strive each day to learn what heavenly virtue the Holy Spirit of God wants to teach or what existing virtue God wants to reinforce in our souls from our own personal experiences of being hurt and humiliated by others or more often than not by our own inordinate love of self; to make us ready, to make us whole, to make us one with and in Him.

Sancta Sanctis!

Glory to God in the highest
Adoration to Jesus Christ
Peace to men of good will.

ACCEPT whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient;

For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.

Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and hope in him.

Sirach 2: 4-6