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In every Catholic Church in the world the Sunday scripture readings are organized in a three-year sequence called: cycle A, B, and C. Why? So that if one attended Mass every Sunday, one would hear almost the entire Bible in those three years. Do you see what we are missing when we neglect Mass? It’s better than books on tape! It just so happens that cycle A for the Twenty Fourth Sunday in ordinary time falls on our national “Day of Remembrance” for September 11, 2001 and the theme is about forgiveness.

We have witnessed two national tragedies of 9/11 and hurricane Katrina. We need to pray and reflect on the power of forgiveness. On the state and national level we have to focus on the virtue of justice. A police officer cannot “forgive” someone committing a dangerous crime. He has to uphold the law. As a nation, those in authority cannot “forgive” a life-threatening enemy. Authority has an obligation to protect its citizens. As a nation there are times when we “forgive on a community level.” We have been reminded of this often in the news.

The reading from Sirach gives a warning against hugging tight to wrath, anger, and vengeance. How can one nourish anger against their neighbor and expect healing from the Lord? How can one refuse mercy and expect mercy from the Lord?

This reading reminds me of the story about two business partners: Joe and Steve. Joe went to visit Steve in the hospital. Steve was unexpectedly lying at death’s door. Steve said, “Joe, before I die I have to confess many things to you. I need your forgiveness! I embezzled over $50,000 from the company over the past five years. I sold our confidential secrets to our biggest competitor. I padded my business expenses against the company by at least $12,000 a year.” Joe bent over Steve’s ear and gently whispered, “I forgive you.” Then after a brief pause he said, “By the way, I’m the one who poisoned you.” Sirach reminds us that we do not want to be “Steve,” nor “Joe!” “Remember your last days. Set enmity aside.” Sirach reminds us of how we forgive others and of how God forgives us.

The gospel reading reminds us of our power to forgive others. At the time of Jesus some rabbis wrote that one had to forgive one’s brother at least three times. Peter takes the number, doubles it, and adds one for good measure to suggest seven would be “very magnanimous on our part, don’t you think Jesus?” Thank you very much! Jesus probably embarrasses him with the response. Some Biblical scholars translate the phrase as 70 – seven times or 70 x 7. That equals 490. But others say it is an _expression for 70 x 7 x 77 x 70 x 7 x 77 or on to infinity.

I cannot cover every aspect of this profound grace of forgiveness in one homily. For your prayer time this week I want to leave you with a spiritual reflection on the pyramid of forgiveness as three floors. Let’s call the top floor of the pyramid “how God forgives me.” The middle of the pyramid has two sides. On the one hand is how “I” forgive others, which only “I” can control. But on the other hand is how “others” forgive me, which only they control. Imagine the bottom floor of the pyramid as the grace to be able to forgive one’s self.

In our Catholic faith the most powerful way God forgives us is in the sacrament of confession, or reconciliation. For two thousand years the words of absolution have been used, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” For the first three centuries of the Catholic Church after Jesus’ pronouncement, “whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven” only bishops uttered it. As the church grew the power of the keys given to Peter were shared with all priests whenever they recited these words of absolution. Do you know the power of God’s forgiveness at this “first floor of the pyramid?”

There is a “give and take” on the second level: only those who I have offended can choose to forgive me and only I can choose to forgive those who have offended me. There are some who nourish anger and vengeance and will never forgive you. Thank God our Catholic faith teaches us that forgiveness doesn’t stop at that floor of the elevator! There is a higher authority than the one offended. “Remember your last days” and who the higher authority really is in life and death.

That brings us to the bottom of the pyramid: “how I forgive myself.” The Epistle to the Romans reminds us “none of us lives as his own master. While we live we are responsible to the Lord.” Some go through life and “never have to forgive themselves.” Do you ever think if they border on the psychotic? For those who are not psychotic: you belong to Him. You have experienced His forgiveness in confession, communion, and in baptism. If He has forgiven you, then He will help you to forgive yourself.