Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost – St Agneskerk Amsterdam

Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (18:23–35)

AT THAT TIME, Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him; and said to him: Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.

Homily on the Parable of the Debtor Who Owed Ten Thousand Talents

St John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), Archbishop of Constantinople, is among the greatest Fathers and Doctors of the Church. His surname Chrysostom, meaning Golden-Mouthed, derives from his extraordinary eloquence. His sermons are distinguished by a profound knowledge of Sacred Scripture, a clear exposition of Catholic doctrine, and a powerful exhortation to virtue and penance. This homily on the unforgiving servant, the Gospel of the 21st Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 18:23–35), was probably delivered in Antioch in 387, when Chrysostom was a priest there. He explains the parable of the king who forgives his servant an enormous debt, while that servant subsequently refuses to forgive a fellow servant a small debt. Chrysostom considers the divine judgement, the account which every man must render of his life, the power of prayer, and the mercy of God. He shows the gravity of the sin of vindictiveness and why the Christian is obliged to forgive his neighbour from his heart. The complete homily follows, translated from a Catholic French edition published in 1864.

1.

What I would feel if I saw you again at last after a long journey, I feel today. For what advantage is it to those who love one another that they are not far removed from their loved ones, if they cannot nevertheless be in their company? Although I remained in the city, I was no less sorrowful than an exile, because for some time I had been unable to speak to you. But forgive me. It was not idleness, but bodily weakness, that caused my silence. You rejoice that my health has returned. For my part, I rejoice because I have found you again, my beloved. For during my illness it grieved me even more than the illness itself that I could not take part in this dear assembly. Now that my strength is gradually returning with my recovery, it is a greater blessing to me than health itself that I may once more enjoy without hindrance the affection of those who are dear to me. For fever kindles a less violent fire in the body than separation from our loved ones kindles in the soul. And just as those tormented by fever long for drink, cooling remedies, and cold water, so separated friends long with equal ardour to see again those whom they miss. Whoever knows what it is to love will understand what I say. Take courage, then! Now that illness has left me, let us enjoy one another’s presence, if indeed we can ever have enough of it. For love knows no satiety. The more it enjoys the company of those whom it loves, the more ardently it is kindled and inflamed. The disciple of love, St Paul, knew this very well when he said: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another (Rom. 13:8). For this is the only debt which one continually incurs and never entirely discharges. It is a beautiful and praiseworthy thing always to owe this debt. In matters of material possessions, we praise those who owe nothing to anyone. But in matters of charity, we praise and admire precisely those who always remain debtors. In the former case, it is unjust not to discharge one’s debt. In the latter, it is the mark of a noble soul never entirely to repay the debt of love. Receive kindly the instruction which I am about to give you, even though it will be lengthy. For I wish to teach you to play the lyre excellently, not a lifeless lyre, but one whose strings consist of the accounts of Sacred Scripture and the commandments of God. Masters who teach the playing of the lyre take their pupils’ fingers and guide them slowly over the strings. They teach them to touch the strings skilfully and to draw from a silent instrument the most pleasing and delightful sounds. I wish to follow their example. I shall use your soul as fingers, lead it to the commandments of God, and teach it to touch them skilfully. Not to delight an assembly of men, but to bring joy to the hosts of angels. For it is not enough to study the divine words. We must also observe them, express them in our manner of life, and fulfil them by our deeds. The strings of a lyre are touched by both the skilled musician and the ignorant man. But while the latter merely offends the ear, the former delights his listeners and fills them with pleasure. Yet the fingers are the same, and the strings are the same. Skill alone makes the difference. So it is with the divine Scriptures. Many read them, but not all derive benefit and fruit from them. The reason is that not all ponder the word thoroughly and play this lyre skilfully. For what skill is to the playing of the lyre, practice is to the law of God. Throughout the whole of Lent we have touched only one string. I have explained to you only the law concerning oaths. And by the grace of God, many of my hearers have understood how excellent it is to observe this law. Therefore they have abandoned a detestable habit. Instead of swearing by the Lord, one now hears them say in their conversations only: yes, no, believe me. And even if a thousand urgent matters pressed upon them, they would not dare go any further.

2.

But because it is not sufficient for salvation to observe only one commandment, I wish to teach you a second today. For although not everyone yet observes the commandment of which I first spoke, and some are lagging behind, they will nevertheless, as time passes, desire to catch up with those who have gone before them. Indeed, I have noticed that zeal for this commandment is now so great that everyone, both in their household occupations and at table, men and women, free persons and slaves, competes to see who can observe it best. And I cannot refrain from congratulating those who conduct themselves in this manner during their meals. For what is holier than a table from which drunkenness, gluttony, and every form of excess have been banished, to make way for an admirable rivalry in observing the laws of God? There the husband watches over his wife and the wife over her husband, lest either fall into the abyss of perjury. There a severe penalty is imposed upon transgression. There the master is not ashamed to be corrected by his servants, nor to correct those who dwell in his house. Would one be mistaken in calling such a household the Church of God? For where such wisdom reigns, where even at table, at a moment which seems to invite licence, care is taken to observe the law of God, and where everyone competes to observe it most faithfully, it is evident that the devil, the evil spirit, has no place there, but that Christ reigns, congratulating His servants upon their holy rivalry and bestowing upon them every favour. I shall therefore leave aside a commandment whose observance, thanks to God and to you, who have begun so fervently to practise it and are already so firmly resolved to do so, will soon spread throughout the entire city. I shall pass to another commandment, namely that we must learn to despise and restrain anger. For just as a single string upon a lyre cannot produce a melody, but all the strings must be played in their proper rhythm, so it is with the virtue which our soul must possess. It is not sufficient for our salvation to observe only one law, as I have already said. We must observe them all faithfully if we wish to produce a harmony sweeter and more profitable than any other. Your mouth has learned no longer to swear, and your tongue has learned in all circumstances to say only yes and no. Learn also to avoid every insulting word, and devote yourselves to observing this commandment with all the greater zeal in proportion as it requires greater effort. In the matter of swearing, it was necessary only to overcome a habit. To restrain anger requires greater exertion. It is a tyrannical passion which carries away even those who are on their guard against it and casts them into the abyss of perdition. Bear patiently, therefore, with the length of my discourse. It would be unreasonable if we, who are wounded every day in the marketplace, in our homes, by our friends, our relatives, our enemies, our neighbours, our servants, our wives, our little children, and even by our own thoughts, were unwilling to devote ourselves, if only once a week, to the healing of these wounds. And this when we know that the treatment will cost us neither money nor pain. For behold, I hold no iron instrument in my hand. I employ only the word, but it is sharper than iron. It will remove all corruption without causing pain to anyone who undergoes this operation. I hold no fire in my hand, but I possess a teaching stronger than fire. It will not burn you, but will prevent the ravages of wickedness. Instead of pain, it will bring only joy to the person delivered from evil. Here neither time, nor labour, nor money is required. It is enough to will, and what virtue demands is accomplished. And when you reflect upon the majesty of God, who commands and has given this law, will that not suffice to enlighten you and move you to action? For the thoughts I set before you are not my own. I wish only to lead you all to the great Lawgiver. Follow me, therefore, and listen to the law of God. Where is anger and the desire for revenge spoken of? In many different places, but especially in the parable which Jesus addressed to His disciples: Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him; and said to him: Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. (Matthew 18:23–35)

3.

This is the parable. We must now explain why the Lord proposed it and what occasion gave rise to it. For He does not simply say: The kingdom of heaven is likened to, but: Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to. Why is this occasion expressly mentioned? Christ was speaking to His disciples about forbearance. He taught them to restrain their anger, not to attach too much importance to the wrongs which others might do them, and He said to them: But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. (Matthew 18:15) While Christ was saying these and similar things to His disciples and teaching them how they should order their lives, Peter came forward, the first of the college of Apostles, the mouth of the disciples, the pillar of the Church, the support of the faith, he with whom all must be of one mind, in whose nets all must allow themselves to be caught, who has brought us back from the abyss of error towards heaven, whom we find everywhere full of love and confidence, but still more full of love than of confidence. Peter, then, while all the others remained silent, approached the Master and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? (Matthew 18:21) He asks this question and already shows that he is prepared for everything. He does not yet know the law, and nevertheless shows himself full of zeal to observe it. For he knew very well that his Master was inclined above all to meekness, and that the man who would please Him most was the one who most readily forgave his neighbour and did not examine the faults of others with bitterness. Therefore, wishing to please the Lawgiver, he asked Him: Till seven times? But that you may learn what man is and what God is, and how the goodness of man, compared with the infinite riches of God’s mercy, falls even below the utmost poverty, and how our love bears the same relation to the ineffable love of God as a drop of water to the boundless sea, you must listen to the Lord’s answer. While Peter asks whether he must forgive as many as seven times, and considers himself already very generous and magnanimous, the Lord answers him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times. Some maintain that this means seventy-seven times. But that is not correct. We must understand it as nearly five hundred times, for seven times seventy is four hundred and ninety. And do not suppose, my beloved hearers, that this commandment is difficult to observe. For when you forgive the person who sins against you once, twice, or three times in a day, even if he has a heart of stone and is more savage than all the devils, he will surely not remain so insensible as continually to fall into the same faults. On the contrary, through the forgiveness so frequently granted him, he will be moved and will become better and less hard-hearted. And as for yourselves, when you are prepared so frequently to forgive the wrongs done to you, after you have forgiven once, twice, or three times, it will become a habit. It will then cost you no effort to persevere in this conduct, because, having forgiven so often, you will no longer be wounded by the wrongs of others. When Peter heard this, he was astonished. He was thinking not only of himself, but also of all those who would be entrusted to his care. And so that he might not again do what he was accustomed to do concerning other commandments, our Lord forestalled every further question. For what did Peter do whenever a commandment was involved? When our Lord had given a law which seemed to present some difficulty, Peter came forward, questioned Him, and asked for an explanation of that law. Thus, for example, when the rich young man had asked the Master about eternal life and, having learned what would lead him to perfection, had gone away sorrowful because he possessed great riches, our Lord added that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Then Peter, although he had abandoned everything, had not even kept his fishing-hook, and had given up his occupation and his boat, approached Christ and said: Who then can be saved? (Mark 10:26) Observe here the praiseworthy conduct and zeal of the disciple. On the one hand, he does not say that the Lord commands something impossible, that this precept is too severe, or that this law is too hard. On the other hand, neither does he remain silent. He shows his concern for everyone and renders our Lord the reverence which a disciple owes his Master by asking Him: Who then can be saved? Although he was not yet a shepherd, he already possessed the zeal of a shepherd. Although he had not yet been appointed to govern, he already showed the solicitude of a ruler and thought of the whole world. If he had been rich and possessed a great fortune, one might perhaps have said that he asked this question not for the sake of others, but out of self-interest and on his own behalf. His poverty, however, removes every suspicion of this kind and shows that it was solely his concern for the salvation of others that troubled him, filled him with anxiety, and led him to ask the Master about the way of salvation. Therefore our Lord encouraged him and said: With men it is impossible; but not with God: for all things are possible with God. By this He meant: Do not imagine that you will be left alone and forsaken. I Myself shall put My hand to this work with you, I, through whom difficult things become easy and possible. Likewise, when our Lord spoke about marriage and the wife, and said that whoever put away his wife, except for fornication, caused her to commit adultery, thereby making it understood that husbands must bear with all the faults of their wives except adultery, Peter, while all the others remained silent, approached Christ and said: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry. (Matthew 19:9–10) Observe how on this occasion also he preserves the reverence due to his Master and nevertheless does not cease to concern himself with the salvation of others, without thinking of his own interests. Now, in order to prevent a similar observation and to forestall every further objection, Jesus proposes the parable. Therefore the Evangelist says: Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. By this he shows us that the parable is intended to teach us that, even if we had forgiven our brother seventy times seven times in a single day, we should still have done nothing particularly great. We should still be very far removed from the meekness of our God and should not yet have given as much as we ourselves have received.

3.

5.

And why do I speak only of what we have said and heard? We shall even have to render an account of our thoughts. St Paul shows us this in these words: Therefore judge not before the time; until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts (1 Cor. 4:5). And the Psalmist says: For the thought of man shall give praise to thee (Ps. 75:11). What do these words mean, that even the thought of man shall give praise to God? This will be the case when you speak to your brother only deceitful and malicious words, when your mouth and tongue praise him, while deep in your heart you think nothing but evil of him and bear hatred towards him. Christ wishes us to understand that we must render an account not only of our deeds, but also of our thoughts. Therefore He says: Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:28). His sin has not yet become an action. It still exists only in his thoughts. Yet neither is he without guilt who contemplates the beauty of a woman with the intention of stirring up within himself the desire for impurity. When, therefore, you hear that the lord wishes to settle accounts with his servants, do not pass lightly over these words. Remember that they concern every rank, every age, and both sexes, men as well as women. Set before your eyes what that judgement seat will be like, and consider all the faults you have committed. For if you have forgotten them, God will not forget them. He will set them all before you again, unless you forestall that terrible moment and blot them out by penance, confession, and forgiveness of the wrongs done to you. But why does the Lord require an account? Not because He does not know our works, He who knows everything before it happens. He wishes to show His servants that their debts truly exist and are justly charged against them. He wishes them to acknowledge this themselves and at the same time to teach them how they may discharge their debts. Therefore He sent the prophet to remind the Jews of their iniquities: Declare to my people their wicked doings, and to the house of Jacob their sins (Is. 58:1). Not merely that they might hear them, but that they might amend their lives. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. What a sum had been entrusted to him! What a sum had he squandered! What an enormous debt! How much must he have received, he who had spent so much! Heavy was the burden of his debts. But what made his condition still worse was that this servant was the first to be brought before his lord. For if many debtors who were able to pay had preceded him, it would not have been so surprising that the king was not angered. The ability of the first debtors to discharge their obligations might have disposed him favourably towards those who followed and could not pay. But that the first debtor should be unable to pay, and that for so considerable a debt, and that he should nevertheless experience the kindness of his lord, is truly wonderful and extraordinary. When men discover a debtor, they rejoice as though they had found a treasure. They do everything in their power to compel him to pay his entire debt. And when the poverty of the debtor makes this impossible, they turn their anger against the body of that unfortunate man. They torment him, beat him, and inflict upon him a thousand sufferings. God, on the contrary, does everything and sets everything in motion to deliver His debtors from their debts. Man enriches himself by exacting what is owed to him, God by remitting it. When we receive what is owed to us, our wealth increases. But God becomes all the richer the more debts He forgives which have been contracted against Him. For God’s riches consist in the salvation of men, as St Paul says: For the same is Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon him (Rom. 10:12). But, you will say to me, if the lord wishes to forgive his servant and remit his debt, why does he command that he be sold? It is precisely in this that his love is most clearly revealed. Let us not, however, be hasty, but follow the parable in its proper order. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, says the Evangelist. What do these words mean, that he had nothing with which to pay? Herein lies an aggravation of his wickedness. That he had nothing with which to pay means that he was destitute of good works, that he had performed nothing good which might be reckoned to him towards the forgiveness of his faults. For our good works are indeed reckoned to us towards the forgiveness of our sins, just as faith is reckoned unto justification. But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice (Rom. 4:5). And why should I speak only of faith and good works, since even afflictions are reckoned to us towards the forgiveness of our faults? The Saviour shows us this in the parable of Lazarus, where He makes Abraham tell the rich man that Lazarus had received evil things on earth and was therefore comforted in the next life. St Paul also shows us this when he writes to the Corinthians concerning the fornicator and says to them: To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved (1 Cor. 5:5). And when he consoles other sinners, he addresses these words to them: Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep. But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world (1 Cor. 11:30–32). If, therefore, afflictions, illnesses, poor health, and bodily sufferings, all things which we endure against our will and which we certainly do not bring upon ourselves voluntarily, are reckoned to us towards the forgiveness of our faults, how much more so the good works to which we devote ourselves freely and with zeal! But this servant possessed nothing good. He had only a crushing burden of sins. Therefore the Evangelist says: And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold (Matt. 18:25). It is precisely here that the kindness of the Lord is most clearly shown, namely in His requiring the servant to render an account and commanding that he be sold. For by doing both these things, He intended nothing other than to prevent the servant from being sold. What proves this? The conclusion of the parable. For if He had truly wished him to be sold, who could have opposed Him? Who could have prevented Him?

6.

Why, then, did he command that the servant be sold, if he did not really intend to do so? To inspire greater fear in the servant. By his threat he wished to make him afraid, so that he would begin to implore him. And he wished to bring him to supplication in order to find therein an occasion to forgive him. He could have forgiven him without any prayer, but he did not do so, lest the servant should become still worse. He could even have forgiven him before any reckoning. But then the servant, who did not know the magnitude of his debt, would have become still more inhuman and cruel towards his brethren. Therefore the king first showed him the extent of his debt and afterwards remitted it all. For after he had been shown at the reckoning how great his debt was, after he had been threatened and the punishment which he justly deserved had been set before him, even then he behaved so mercilessly and inhumanly towards his fellow servant. If these precautions had not been taken, to what degree of cruelty would he not have descended? God had no other purpose in all this than to bring this impetuous character to meekness. And if nothing succeeded, the fault lies not with the master, but with this incorrigible servant. Let us, however, see how the master treats this disease. But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. He did not say that he had nothing with which to pay. But debtors always promise to pay, even when they possess nothing, in order to escape the immediate danger. Let us, who show so little zeal for prayer, learn from this how great is the power of supplication. This servant could offer no fasting, no voluntary poverty, or anything of that kind. He possessed no virtue whatsoever. Yet he began to implore his master, and his prayer had such power that it moved him to mercy. Let us therefore never despair of our prayers. For can there be a greater sinner than one who, weighed down by the burden of so many crimes, could offer no good work, whether great or small? And yet he did not say to himself: I dare not speak. I am filled with shame. How could I approach my master? How could I implore him? And yet many sinners say precisely this, prompted by the shame which the devil inspires in them. You dare not speak? For that very reason you must draw near, that your confidence may increase. Is He who will grant you forgiveness a man, that you should be overwhelmed by shame? No, it is God. God desires more ardently to forgive you than you yourself desire to receive forgiveness. You do not desire your own happiness as greatly as He desires your salvation. And He has shown us this by many examples. You have no confidence? That very thing ought to give you confidence. For it is a great reason for confidence when one considers oneself unworthy of it, just as it is a great reason for shame when one dares to justify oneself before the Lord. He who justifies himself makes himself guilty, even though he might otherwise be the holiest of all men. On the contrary, he who regards himself as the least of all is justified. The Pharisee and the publican bear witness to this. When, therefore, we have sinned, let us lose neither hope nor confidence, but draw near to God, cast ourselves down before Him, and implore Him, as this servant did, who at least in this matter was guided by a good disposition. Not to despair, not to lose confidence, to confess one’s sins, and to ask for some delay, all this is good and belongs to a contrite heart and a humbled spirit. But what follows bears no resemblance to what preceded it. What he had obtained by his supplications he would soon lose through the anger which he was about to kindle against his fellow servant. Let us meanwhile see how he obtained forgiveness, how his master released him, and what moved him to do so. And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, says the Evangelist, let him go and forgave him the debt. The servant had asked for delay, but the master granted him forgiveness. Thus he received more than he had requested. Therefore St Paul says that God is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand (Eph. 3:20). For you will never be able to imagine what He has resolved to grant you. Therefore let there be no distrust and no shame. Or rather, be ashamed of your iniquities, but do not despair or abandon prayer. Even when you have sinned, go to your Master to reconcile Him and to give Him an occasion to manifest His mercy by forgiving you your faults. For when you do not dare to approach Him, you place an obstacle in the way of His goodness and prevent Him, so far as it depends upon you, from showing how generous His heart is. Therefore let there be no discouragement and no negligence in our prayers. Even if we had fallen into the abyss of vice, He can deliver us from it very quickly. No one has sinned so greatly as this wicked servant. He had exhausted every form of wickedness. This is signified by the ten thousand talents. No one could have been more destitute of good works than he. Therefore we are told that he had nothing with which to pay. And yet this guilty man, against whom everything bore witness, was delivered by the power of prayer. Is prayer, then, so powerful that it can deliver from punishment and chastisement a man who has made himself guilty before his Master by his evil deeds and works? Yes, it can, O man. For prayer does not stand alone in this undertaking. It possesses the most powerful help and support, namely the mercy of God to whom it is addressed. It is mercy that does everything and gives prayer its power. To make us understand this truth, the Evangelist says: And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. Thereby he shows that both in prayer and even before prayer the mercy of the Master has accomplished everything. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. But what could be more shameful? The words of forgiveness were still sounding in his ears, and already he had forgotten the mercy of his Master.

7.

Do you see how useful it is to remember one’s sins? If this servant had continually kept his sins before his eyes, he would not have been so cruel and inhuman. Therefore I continually repeat to you, and shall not cease to say, that it is most useful and necessary for us unceasingly to remember all our iniquities. Nothing makes the soul so wise, so meek, and so forgiving as the constant remembrance of its own faults. Therefore St Paul remembered not only the sins which followed his baptism, but even those which he had committed before his baptism, although these had been entirely blotted out. And if this Apostle remembered even the sins which he had committed before his baptism, how much more ought we to think of the sins which have followed our regeneration? For the remembrance of them will not only move us to greater penance, but will also make us more meek towards our neighbour and fill us with greater gratitude towards God, our Master, by keeping His ineffable mercy continually before our eyes. This wicked servant did not do so. On the contrary, because he forgot the magnitude of his debt, he also forgot the greatness of the benefit he had received. And because he forgot this benefit, he acted wickedly towards his fellow servant. By this evil deed he lost everything which God’s mercy had bestowed upon him. And laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. He did not say: Pay me the hundred pence, for he would have been ashamed of the smallness of this debt. He merely said: Pay what thou owest. And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. He used the same words which had obtained forgiveness for the wicked servant, and hoped thereby to be saved himself. But this cruel man, carried away by his inhumanity, remained unmoved by those words and no longer remembered that those very words had saved him. For him, however, to grant forgiveness was no longer an act of kindness, but a debt and an obligation. For if, before the reckoning, before his condemnation, and before the extraordinary grace which had been shown him, he had forgiven his fellow servant, this would have been an act of his own generosity. But after he had received so great a benefit and the forgiveness of so many faults, it had become necessary for him to have compassion on his fellow servant. In doing so, he would merely have discharged a debt. Yet he did nothing of the kind. He did not consider what a difference existed between the grace which he had just received and that which he ought to have granted his fellow servant. This difference is evident both from the magnitude of the two debts, from the relationship between the persons concerned, and from the manner in which everything took place. On the one hand, there were ten thousand talents; on the other, a hundred pence. On the one hand, a servant had behaved offensively towards his master; on the other, a fellow servant had incurred a debt towards someone who, like himself, was in servitude. After being treated so generously, the servant ought in his turn to have shown mercy. The master, on the contrary, had remitted his entire debt, although the debtor had deserved this benefit by no good work, whether great or small. But without reflecting upon any of these things, wholly blinded by his anger, he seized his debtor by the throat and cast him into prison. When the other servants saw this, the Evangelist adds, they were indignant. Even before the master had pronounced judgement, they had already condemned him. This also is a new proof of the goodness of the king. When his master heard of it, he summoned him and subjected him to a new judgement. Even at that moment he did not condemn him without first examining the matter, but showed him that his conduct was justified by justice. What, then, did he say? Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt. What could be better than this master? When his servant owed him ten thousand talents, he uttered not a single reproach against him. He did not even call him wicked, but merely commanded that he should be sold, and that only in order to find an occasion to remit his debt. But when this servant behaved unworthily towards his fellow servant, the master became angry. Thereby he teaches us that God more readily forgives the sins committed against Himself than those committed against our neighbour. And He acts thus not only on this occasion, but also in other circumstances. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. (Matt. 5:23–24) Do you see how everywhere He places our interests before His own and esteems nothing more highly than peace and charity towards our neighbour? Elsewhere He says: Whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting the cause of fornication, maketh her to commit adultery. (Matt. 5:32) But through St Paul He established this law: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she consent to dwell with him, let him not put her away. (1 Cor. 7:12) If she has committed adultery, He says, put her away. If she is an unbeliever, do not put her away. If she sins against you, let her go. If she sins against Me, keep her. So it is here also. Grave sins have been committed against the Master, and this good Master forgives them. But as soon as the question concerns faults committed against a brother, although these are lighter and fewer than those by which the Master was offended, He no longer forgives, but punishes. He calls the guilty man wicked, whereas in the first instance He had not even reproached him. To make this lesson still clearer, the Evangelist adds that the servant was delivered to the torturers. When the master required him to render an account of the ten thousand talents, he did nothing of the kind. From this we learn that the first sentence was not a sentence of anger, but of mercy, a mercy which sought an occasion to forgive. The last deed, on the contrary, had provoked his anger. What, then, could be worse than the desire for revenge, since it moves God to revoke the effects of His goodness, and since what sins had not been able to make Him resolve upon is nevertheless brought about by resentment against one’s neighbour? Certainly, it is written that the gifts of God are without repentance (Rom. 11:29). Why, then, after granting so great a benefit and showing such great kindness, has God here revoked His own judgement? Because the servant desired revenge. Therefore one is not mistaken in considering this sin the gravest of all sins. All the others could obtain forgiveness. For this one alone there was no forgiveness. More than that, it even caused the sins which had already been blotted out to come to life again. The desire for revenge is therefore a twofold evil, because it finds no excuse before God and because through this sin the other faults, even when they had been forgiven, are revived and once more charged against us, as happened here. For nothing, nothing I tell you, offends and angers God so greatly as a man animated by vindictiveness and resentment. We learn this from the passage which I have just explained and from the prayer in which Christ has commanded us to say: And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. (Matt. 6:12) Now that we know all this and have deeply engraved in our hearts the parable which we have considered, we must, whenever we think of what our brethren have done against us, also think of what we ourselves have done against God. The fear arising from our own faults will soon restrain the anger which the wrongs done to us have aroused within us. If there are sins which we ought to remember, they are exclusively our own. For if we remember our own sins, we shall soon forget those of others. But if we forget our own sins, those of others will soon come to mind. If this wicked servant had thought of the ten thousand talents which he owed, he would have forgotten the hundred pence. But because he forgot his own debt, he demanded from his fellow servant what was owed to him. And because he wished to recover a small sum, he not only failed to obtain that sum, but also brought the burden of the ten thousand talents upon himself once more. Therefore I tell you without fear that inhumanity and vindictiveness are the gravest of all sins. Or rather, it is not I who tell you this, but Christ Himself, through the parable which I have explained. For if this crime had not been more grievous than the ten thousand talents, that is, than innumerable sins, it would not have caused the faults already forgiven to come to life again. Therefore our principal care must be to suppress every feeling of anger within ourselves and to become reconciled with our enemies. We must be convinced that neither prayer, nor fasting, nor almsgiving, nor participation in the Holy Mysteries, in short, no act of devotion whatsoever, will be of any benefit to us on the great day when all things shall be made manifest, if we continue to harbour any resentment. If, on the contrary, we free ourselves entirely from this vice, then, even if we were sinners a thousand times over, we may nevertheless obtain some mercy. And it is not I who tell you this, but the God who will come to judge us. Look at the parable which I have just explained: So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. And elsewhere: For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. (Matt. 6:14) If, therefore, we wish to lead a gentle and peaceful life here on earth and to obtain forgiveness and mercy in heaven, we must direct all our care and all our efforts towards reconciliation with whatever enemies we may have. Thereby our Master, even if we have offended Him a thousand times, will lay aside His anger, and we shall obtain the eternal rewards. May we all be found worthy to receive them through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.