Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
REFLECTION
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
Who coined the phrase, "Pay it forward?" In 1916 Lily Hardy Hammond wrote a book entitled Garden of Delight. Lily wrote in her story, "You don't pay love back; you pay it forward.
Later in 1999, a book was written entitled, Pay It Forward, written by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It was made into a movie and debuted in 2000 with the same title. The story was about the obligation to do three good deeds for others in response to a good deed that one receives. This act should multiply throughout a community and ideally through society making the world a better place.
Did this concept really begin in 1916 or 1999?
I believe that this concept began with Our Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 18: 21-25, Jesus answers St. Peter's question: "How often must I forgive my brother? " Jesus answers with, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times."
But Jesus further explains with a parable about a King and one of his servants who owed him money, The King was going to throw the man and his family in debtor's prison until the debt was paid. The servant begged for mercy. The King in his compassion forgave the servant his debt and let him go free.
Instead of being grateful for being forgiven this servant does not pass on the compassion shown to him by the King. Instead, he found someone who owed him and demanded him to pay him back. The man begged for more time to pay him, but he had him thrown into prison.
The King upon hearing what that servant had done, chastised him for not being compassionate and showing his debtor mercy as the King had shown him. As a result, the King sent him to prison.
Jesus' message is that we should be grateful for God's mercy and we. too, should "Pay It Forward," by showing others mercy. God doesn't need us to pay him back with mercy. He wants us to be loving and merciful to others as he is to us.
This is why I love being a PAPA companion. We believe in Jesus' teachings and that is why we Pray, Serve, and Bless. We are commissioned to be followers of Jesus Christ. We pray for all Priests to be like Jesus and to bring us closer to Our Lord.
Let's pay God's mercy forward, forgive others as God forgives us!
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