Tuesday of the
First Week of Lent
(Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15)
A cartoon a couple of years ago showed two drivers after
a fender-bender. One says to the other,
“My lawyer will contact you tomorrow.” This
is the way many people think today. When
offended, they first and foremost seek monetary redress through the legal
system. Today’s readings teach us that
getting back at others is not God’s way.
The passage from Isaiah’s is taken from the end of the
second of three sections of the book.
The prophet is consoling the exiled captives in Babylon. He has told them that they have suffered
enough for their infidelity. He has also
assured them that God does not hold grudges.
Indeed, Isaiah makes clear that God takes delight in forgiving. Jesus similarly teaches of his Father’s
willingness to forgive. However, he
insists that God will forgive only those who are willing to forgive others. He is saying that humans have to adopt God’s
ways if they are going to receive God’s mercy.
It’s tragic how wars are continually refought because
peoples do not want to forgive. Many
Arabs live with resentment for Jews, and many Jews live so with Arabs. The same is true of Indians and
Pakistanis. In the United States African
Americans are demanding reparations while white Americans hold on to prejudices
and memories of troubles. These are not
God’s ways. If people want to be truly
free, they should let go of these kinds of demands. They need to forgive
others’ their offenses to receive God’s forgiveness for their own.