Seventy-Seven Times
Ordinary Time
Today's reading · Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
Peter appears to regard seven as an unusually generous number. How often should he forgive someone who sins against him? As many as seven times? He proposes it as though he were offering an exceptionally generous standard. And Jesus doesn't simply endorse a larger limit. He overturns the assumption that forgiveness can be confined to a limit at all:
Today's intention
Today I will bring one recurring offense to God, refuse to rehearse it as a claim for revenge, and ask for the grace to forgive, while keeping whatever boundaries and prudent steps are necessary.