SAINTS PONTIAN, POPE, AND HIPPOLYTUS, PRIEST, MARTYRS (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. 

When Jesus told this parable, he described the heart of the gospel message (Matthew 18:21 – 19:1).   A servant who owed a debt so large he could never repay was forgiven by a very generous ruler.   Like that servant, we owe a debt we can’t pay on our own, and like him, we have been forgiven by our merciful Father in heaven.   So let’s join together today to praise our God, whose mercy knows no bounds.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for your compassion.   Though you know every sin in my past, you offer me freedom and forgiveness.   You see my struggle to forgive the ones who have hurt me.   You know the ways I disregard your word or demand my own way.   I am like this servant, standing before you with a great debt and no way out.   But you look at me with love and compassion.   Though I fall again and again, you cancel my debt and welcome me back.

“Loving God, this is the way you have always been.   The Scriptures tell how you persistently offered your mercy and drew people to yourself.   From the moment our first parents turned from you, your love never stopped.   You called Abraham into a covenant relationship (Genesis 12).   You called the people of Israel out of Egypt, freeing them from slavery and revealing your great mercy (Exodus 12).   You sent prophets like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah to speak your word to your people, even in the midst of their sin.

“Merciful Lord, you look upon us with kindness even today.   Yours is a love that continues to reach out to us and offers to lift the burden of our sins.   You are present with us through family, friends, and the sacraments to mediate your grace to us.   Thank you that what we cannot do for ourselves, you freely desire to do for us!

“Father, the relief that the servant felt at having his debt forgiven did not make him merciful to his fellow servants.   Help me not to repeat his mistake.   Teach me to share your mercy with the people I meet, especially those who need it most.   Make me more like you.”

“Merciful God, I praise you for your compassion and mercy on me.   Thank you for having forgiven me completely!”

Ezekiel 12:1-12
Psalm 78:56-59, 61-62