Tuesday, March 10, 2026

 Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

 (Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

 Protestants often criticize the Catholic practice of confessing to a priest.  They ask, “Why do you have to tell your sins to a man?  It is God who forgives sins.”  Yes, certainly sins offend God, and He alone can forgive them, but Jesus has given his apostles authority to function as God’s regular agents (Matthew 18:18).  There is a further reason.  When a Christian sins, she or he does harm to the Church which is entrusted with the mission of announcing God’s love to the world.  Gossiping, viewing pornography, cheating on taxes or whatever sin obstructs the deliverance of this message.  The readings today present examples of a sincere confession and what proves to be a faulty one.

 The first reading pictures Azariah, one of the three Jewish youths chosen to serve the king of Persia, expressing contrition for the sins of his people.  As the prophets tell, God desires such a contrite heart more than sacrifices.  The servant in the gospel parable sounds like he has undergone a change of heart as he pleads with his master for an extension of his debt, but actually he has not.  If he were sincere, he would show the same understanding to a fellow servant who is indebted to him.

 It is recommendable that all Catholics go to Confession during Lent whether or not they are in mortal sin.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation humbles us to admit that we make mistakes -- sometimes grave ones -- that divert us from the path of holiness.  Also significant, Reconciliation reminds us that religion is not just a personal affair between God and me but a communal enterprise in which all of us have a role to carry out.

 

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

 Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

In his message for the World Day of Peace in 2002, Pope St. John Paul II reflected on the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  He repeated the proverb that without justice, there is no peace.  He also made the insight that without forgiveness there is no justice.  People must give up their claims for past injuries if they ever expect to have right relationships with others.  He was not advocating that nations or individuals ignore or forget past grievances.  But he did mean that aware of God’s love for them, the person or state can act with love for the offender. This love may be called mercy.

Both readings today show the need for mercy.  The young man praying in the furnace asks for God’s mercy on his people whom he calls disobedient.  Responding to the prayer, God saves the youth from the furnace and sends his people back to the land of the ancestors.  The parable of Jesus is stunning in its contrast.  The original debtor is said to owe “a huge amount.”  One should think in terms of seven digits.  His debtor owes “a much smaller amount,” perhaps a few hundred dollars.  Yet the first debtor cannot forgive him.  There will never be justice in that first debtor’s life, much less peace.

We can forgive others when we remember how much God loves us.  But we need not measure our sins to the extent to which we have been forgiven.  Out of love God gives us life, friends, work, and rest.  For these reasons we should be ready to forgive our debtors.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

In his message for the World Day of Peace in 2002, Pope St. John Paul II reflected on the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  He repeated the proverb that without justice, there is no peace.  He also made the insight that without forgiveness there is no justice.  People have to give up their claims for past injuries if they ever expect to have right relationships with others.  He was not advocating that nations or individuals ignore past grievances.  But he did mean that feeling God’s love, the person or state can express love for the offender. This love may be called mercy.

Both readings today show the need for mercy.  The young man praying in the furnace asks for God’s mercy on his people who calls disobedient.  God will save the youth from the furnace and bring his people back to the land of the ancestors.  The parable of Jesus is stunning in its contrast.  The original debtor is said to owe “a huge amount.”  One should think in terms of ten digits of dollars.  The second debtor owes “a much smaller amount,” perhaps a few hundred dollars.  Yet the first debtor cannot forgive him.  There will never be justice in that first debtor’s life, much less peace.

We can forgive others when we remember how much love God has for us.  We need not assess our sins to see how much we have been forgiven.  Out of love God gives us life, friends, work, and rest.  For these reasons we should be ready to forgive. 

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Tuesday of the Third Lent in Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

When former president Gerald Ford died in 2007, commentators remembered him with surprising admiration.  They recognized his pardoning his predecessor Richard Nixon for criminal activity in the Watergate affair as his greatest achievement.  Even Ted Kennedy, a Nixon critic, admitted that the pardon did a distinctive service to the country.  It helped heal a nation badly divided over ideology and shocked over wrongdoing at the highest levels.

Would that public figures be more willing to practice today what they admire in past heroes!  Instead we hear them demand resignation, impeachment, or apology from those who violate their principles.  In the gospel Jesus tells his disciples that it should not be that way with us.  We must be ready to forgive when people repent of their misdeeds.  Rather than clamor for retribution, we should pray that our offenders take note of their wrongdoing, ask forgiveness, and make proper amends.

Mercy becomes us.  Shakespeare writes that an “earthly power doth then show likest God's,
when mercy seasons justice.”  It even makes us better appreciated in our society as in the case of President Ford.  In forgiving, of course, we must not abandon the norms of justice.  Compensation to the wronged is often due, and the offender should be resolved not to offend again.  But practiced rightly, mercy like “the gentle rain from heaven” – as Shakespeare put it -- benefits everyone.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

Protestants often criticize the Catholic practice of confessing to a priest.  They ask, “Why do you have to tell your sins to a man?  It is God who forgives sins.”  Yes, certainly sins offend God, and He alone can forgive them, but Jesus has given his apostles authority to carry out this function (Matthew 18:18).  There is a further reason.  When a Christian sins, she or he does harm to the Church which is entrusted with the mission of announcing God’s love to the world.  Gossiping, viewing pornography, or cheating on taxes hinders the deliverance of this message.  The readings today present examples of a sincere confession and what proves to be a faulty one.

The first reading pictures Azariah, one of the three Jewish youths chosen to serve the king of Persia, expressing contrition for the sins of his people.  As the prophets tell, God desires such a contrite heart more than sacrifices.  The servant in the gospel parable sounds like he has undergone a change of heart as he pleads with his master for an extension of his debt, but actually he has not.  If he were sincere, he would show the same understanding to a fellow servant who is indebted to him.

All Catholics should go to Confession during Lent whether or not they are in mortal sin.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation humbles us to admit that we make mistakes -- sometimes grave ones -- that divert us from the path of holiness.  Also significant, Reconciliation reminds us that religion is not just a personal affair between God and me but a communal enterprise in which all of us have a role to carry out.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35)

Protestants often criticize the Catholic practice of confessing to a priest. They ask, “Why do you have to tell your sins to a man? It is God who forgives sins.” Yes, certainly sins offend God, and He alone can forgive them, but Jesus has given his apostles authority to carry out this function (Matthew 18:18). There is a further reason. When a Christian sins, she or he does harm to the Church which is entrusted with the mission of announcing God’s love to the world. Gossiping, viewing pornography, or cheating on taxes hinders the deliverance of this message. The readings today present examples of a sincere confession and what proves to be a faulty one.

The first reading pictures Azariah, one of the three Jewish youths chosen to serve the king of Persia, expressing contrition for the sins of his people. As the prophets tell, God desires such a contrite heart more than sacrifices. The servant in the gospel parable sounds like he has undergone a change of heart as he pleads with his master for an extension of his debt, but actually he has not. If he were sincere, he would show the same understanding to a fellow servant who is indebted to him.

All Catholics should go to Confession during Lent whether or not they are in mortal sin. The Sacrament of Reconciliation humbles us to admit that we make mistakes -- sometimes grave ones -- that divert us from the path of holiness. Also significant, Reconciliation reminds us that religion is not just a personal affair between God and me but a communal enterprise in which all of us have a role to carry out.