Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 13, 2026

A Marine was sharing a story about how he accidentally cut off another vehicle while driving. When they arrived at a stoplight, the other driver got out, approached the Marine’s window, and started screaming at him.

The Marine said the man was much smaller than he was. He could have gotten out and confronted him too. But he kept his window up and simply said, “I’m sorry. I messed up.”

And the other man’s demeanor totally changed. He said, “It’s OK,” walked away, and got back in his car. 

…What does it mean to forgive?

I think the definition we can draw from today’s Gospel passage is this:

To forgive is to release someone from our debt, specifically, releasing them from the grudge and the desire to get even.

The Marine apologized for his carelessness, and the other man forgave him. The Marine also had to forgive the other guy for escalating the situation. They both let it go.

Now, those are relatively minor offenses. They happen all the time.

But what if the wrong done against us was much more serious? What if someone we were in a relationship or a business partnership with betrayed us? What if someone caused serious emotional or physical harm? And what if we’re still living with the effects today?

That takes a whole other level of forgiveness. And I think Jesus has those things in mind, too.

…I remember having to deal with a serious wrong. I was dealing with a lot of anger because of it. As I was sharing this with a counselor, the counselor responded, “Oftentimes, anger is a feeling that we have because we are hurt.”

And it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I was hurt. That’s why I was angry.

And healing from that kind of hurt takes work. We need God’s help. 

And with God's help, we can forgive and heal from even the most grievous wrongs done against us.

And, please know, you may have actually forgiven someone even though you still feel hurt. It’s important not to confuse the two: we could have forgiven somebody but still need healing from the effects of the wrongdoing.

But here’s where I want to go with this: Sometimes we really haven't forgiven somebody. Sometimes we promise ourselves that we will never forgive something. That's a very dangerous spiritual place to be. I understand why someone could be in that place, but Jesus is asking us to reconsider. 

In the parable, the servant receives tremendous mercy but refuses to show that same mercy to someone else. Jesus is warning us that if we persist in refusing to forgive, we put our own relationship with God and our place in Heaven in real jeopardy.

Forgiving someone doesn’t mean what they did was ever OK. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t receive whatever earthly punishment is just. Rather, forgiving means letting go of the grudge and letting go of the desire to get even. 

And it is truly with the help of God that we can forgive anything, no matter what happened, no matter how angry or hurt we may be. Healing from the hurt may take a lot of counseling. We may also need to confess sins in how we’ve responded to that hurt. But there is healing for you. I know there is. And forgiving can be part of it.

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