Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Grudges are awful things.  But today’s gospel calls us to a higher standard.  The forgiveness we’ve experienced should motivate us to be free with forgiveness when others wrong us.  We cannot dole out forgiveness in infinitesimal pieces only to those we deem worthy.  Instead, forgiveness ought to be given freely.  We must die to the grudges, slights, rudeness, and other transgressions we’ve suffered and rise to a sense of freedom that comes through forgiving as we’ve been forgiven.  Jesus himself warns us that if we withhold forgiveness, it will be withheld from us.  And the consequences of that are severe indeed.