Today we hear Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel, say that we must forgive anyone who harms us 77 times! Seven is the number of perfection, so Jesus is saying that we must be perfect—hold no grudges and show mercy. Wow, that is a lot to take in and even harder to do. Just how am I to do that? What I must remember is that I am not called to be a doormat. I am not supposed to let people walk all over me and do nothing. No, Jesus told us earlier this Lent that we may have to reprove our brother or sister, but not to incur sin while doing so. We should stand up for ourselves, just not repay hurt with hurt, because that only creates more hurt. We are reminded in the Psalm for today that God in his goodness will remember to be merciful. As in the parable Jesus recounts, since we are shown mercy, we are to show mercy. Reprove, forgive, move on. Three big steps in our journey toward Easter.
