Commentary on the Mass Readings: Tue, Mar 10

2. Tuesday, March 10

The first reading from Daniel 3 verses 25 and 34 through 43.

As a raya stood up in the fire and prayed aloud,

For your name's sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever, or make avoid your covenant.

Do not take away your mercy from us for the sake of Abraham your beloved, Isaac your servant,

and Israel your holy one, to whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars

of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea.

For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world

this day because of our sins.

We have in our day no prince, prophet or leader, no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation

or incense, no place to offer first fruits to find favor with you.

But with contrite heart and humble spirit, let us be received, as though it were burnt

offerings of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs.

So let our sacrifice be in your presence today, as we follow you unreservedly, for those

who trust in you cannot be put to shame.

And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you.

Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.

Liver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.

Hayda Commentary

There were chiefs and judges as well as prophets among the captives, yet the republic

was in disorder.

Zedakaya was dead, Joachim in prison, so that no Jewish king ruled over the people.

Nor was there any prophet in the promised land, Jeremiah being either dead or in Egypt.

They were at least very rare.

They knew not yet whether they would escape the fire.

When they beheld the angel, they had greater confidence and broke forth into a hymn of

praise.

They now offer all they can, a humble heart.

The Gospel from Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 through 35 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.

According to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, be patient with me and I will pay

you back.

But he refused.

Instead he hadn't 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?

And 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 your brother from your

heart?

Hey dot commentary.

St. Peter knew the Jews to be much given to revenge.

He therefore thought in a great proof of superior virtue to be able to forgive seven times.

It was for this reason he proposed this question to our Lord, who to show how much he esteemed

charity immediately answered not only seven times, but seventy times, seven times.

He does not mean to say that this number must be the bounds of our forgiving.

We must forgive to the end and never take revenge, however often our brother offends against

us.

There must be no end of forgiving poor culprits that sincerely repent, either in the sacrament

of penance or one man another, his offenses.

To recommend this great virtue more forcibly, he subjoins the parable of the king taking his

accounts.

And from the great severity there exercised, he intimates how rigid will his Heavenly

Father be to those who forgive not their enemies.

When our brother sins against us, we must grieve for his sake over the evil he has committed.

But for ourselves we ought greatly to rejoice, because we are thereby made like to our Heavenly

Father, who bids the Son to shine upon the good and the bad.

Let us imitate Joseph, who though reduced to a state of the most abject servitude by the

hatred of his unnatural brethren, yet in the affliction of his heart employed all his

power to sucker them in their afflictions.

Let us imitate Moses, who after a thousand injuries raised his fervent supplications on

behalf of his people.

Let us imitate the blessed Paul, who though daily suffering a thousand afflictions from

the Jews still wished to become an anathema for their salvation.

Let us imitate Stephen, who when the stones of his persecutors were covering him with wounds

prayed that the Almighty would pardon their sin.

Let us follow these admirable examples, then shall we extinguish the flames of anger,

then will our Heavenly Father grant us the forgiveness of our sins, through the merits of our

Lord Jesus Christ.

So says St. John Chrysostom.

In this parable the Master is said to have remitted the debt, and yet afterwards to have

punished the servant for it.

God does not in this manner with us, but we may hear observe once for all that in parables

diverse things are only ornamental to the parable itself, and a caution and restriction

is to be used in applying them.

God will not revoke a pardon once granted, for this would be contrary to his infinite mercy,

and his works are without repentance.

It means that God will not pardon, or rather that he will severely punish the ingratitude

and inhumanity of the man, who after having received from God the most liberal pardon of

his grievous transgressions, refuses to forgive the slightest offense committed against him

by his neighbor, who was a member, nay, a son of his God.

This ingratitude may justly be compared with the large amount of debt, as every grievous

offense committed against God exceeds in an infinite degree any offense against man.

This forgiveness must be real, not pretended, it must be from the heart, and not in word

and appearance only.

It must sacrifice all desire of revenge, all anger, hatred and resentment, at the shrine

of charity.