“In the Gospel today, Peter asks Jesus a very honest question: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?”
For Peter, seven times already sounded generous. But Jesus answers: “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
In other words, forgiveness should have no limit.
Then Jesus tells the parable of the servant who owed the king a huge amount but was forgiven completely. Yet that same servant refused to forgive someone who owed him a very small debt.
Through this story, Jesus strongly insists that we must forgive. Why is forgiveness so important to Him?
Let me share three possible reasons.
First, because God has already forgiven us so much.
In the parable, the servant owed an enormous debt—something he could never repay. Yet the king forgave him out of compassion.
This is a picture of our relationship with God. Each of us has received countless mercies from Him—sins forgiven, blessings given, chances to begin again.
That is why Jesus reminds us: “If God has forgiven us so much, how can we refuse to forgive others?”
As St. Paul says: “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:32).
Forgiveness begins when we remember how patient God has been with us.
Second, because unforgiveness poisons the human heart.
When we refuse to forgive, we think we are hurting the other person. But very often, we are the ones who suffer more.
Resentment, anger, bitterness—these things slowly eat the heart. They rob us of peace. They keep wounds alive.
Jesus knows this. That is why He teaches forgiveness—not only to heal relationships, but also to heal our own hearts.
Forgiveness is not weakness. It is freedom.
As the saying goes: Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
Third, because forgiveness reflects the heart of God.
Every time we forgive, we resemble God a little more.
The world often teaches revenge: “Get even. Pay back. Do not let them win.”
But Jesus teaches something higher: mercy.
When Christians forgive, they become signs of God’s love in the world. They show that mercy is stronger than hatred and that goodness is stronger than evil.
Jesus Himself showed this on the cross when He prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Final Words
My dear brothers and sisters, forgiveness is not always easy. Sometimes the wounds are deep. Sometimes it takes time.
But today Jesus invites us to begin.
Perhaps there is someone we need to forgive—a family member, a friend, a colleague, someone who hurt us long ago.
If we open our hearts, God will give us the grace to forgive.
Because in the end, forgiveness does not only change the other person. It transforms us.
And when we learn to forgive, we truly become children of the merciful Father.”