24th Sunday in Ordinary Time · Matthew 18:21–35
Should you not have shown mercy too?
Mercy does not keep score
This Lectio Divina for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, enters into Matthew 18:21–35: “Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow servant, just as I showed mercy to you?” Through Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio and Communicatio, we receive the Word in the Augustinian Recollect spirit, in personal prayer and in community.
01 Lectio02 Meditatio03 Oratio04 Contemplatio05 Communicatio
Invocation
Come, Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit,
through whom every faithful soul
that believes in Christ is made holy
and becomes a citizen
of the city of God.
Come, Holy Spirit;
make us receptive to God’s prompting.
Kindle your fire within us,
enlighten us and lift our hearts to God.
— Saint Augustine (En. Ps. 45, 8 · Serm. 128, 4)
The Gospel
Matthew 18:21–35
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
At that time Peter came to Jesus and asked: “Lord, how often must I forgive a brother or sister who wrongs me? As many as seven times?” Jesus replied: “Not seven times, but seventy times seven.
The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. One servant was brought before him owing an enormous sum. Since he could not pay, the master ordered that everything he had be sold to meet the debt.
The servant fell at his feet and pleaded, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ Moved with compassion, the master released him and cancelled the whole debt.
But as soon as that servant left, he found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount. He seized him and demanded payment. His companion fell down and made the same plea: ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ He refused and had him imprisoned until the debt was paid.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were deeply distressed and told the king. The master summoned him and said, ‘You wicked servant. I cancelled your whole debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow servant, just as I showed mercy to you?’ Then he handed him over until the debt was paid. So will my heavenly Father deal with you unless you forgive your brother or sister from the heart.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Lectio
What the text says
Saint Augustine · Sermon 83, 2
Every person stands in debt before God and also has someone indebted to them. None of us can claim to be without fault, and few pass through life without being hurt. God therefore gives us a rule for dealing with those who owe us: the measure we extend is the measure we ourselves hope to receive.
Two works of mercy set us free: “Forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you.” When we sin, we long for forgiveness, and there is always someone whom we can forgive. When a person in need asks for help, we remember that we too are beggars before God. We stand at his door with empty hands and ask for the greatest gift of all: God himself.
Saint Thomas of Villanova
Learn humility, obedience, mercy, patience and gentleness. In Christ we find the school of every virtue.
Reflection
Mercy does not keep score
Forgiveness does not approve wrongdoing or pretend that an injustice was acceptable. It does not remove every consequence or require someone to face harm again. To forgive is to release hatred and the desire for revenge, so that pain no longer governs a person’s life.
Peter offers to forgive seven times. In Scripture, seven suggests fullness, so his proposal sounds generous. Yet he is still keeping count. Jesus answers with “seventy times seven” and breaks the logic of the scoreboard. Mercy becomes a settled posture of the heart.
The parable sharpens the contrast. The king cancels a debt beyond repayment, but the servant who walks free violently demands a much smaller sum. He receives mercy without allowing it to change how he sees his companion.
We cannot repay God for his mercy either. We receive it as a gift that rebuilds us and makes us able to offer others what we first received.
Forgiving from the heart does not make the wound insignificant. It means remembering that the wound does not have the final word and choosing mercy again whenever it is needed.
A community that learns forgiveness does not hide wrongdoing. It names the harm, seeks justice and accompanies healing without allowing revenge to take God’s place.
Meditatio
What the Word says to me
“Not seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Peter believes he is being remarkably generous, yet he is still keeping count. God’s mercy is not a ledger of offences. It remains ready to restore and give life because every one of us needs a new beginning.
Do I truly forgive, or do I keep a private count of the times I have been hurt?
“Unless you forgive your brother or sister from the heart.”
When mercy shapes our life together, our relationships grow freer and more just. We do not approve the wrong. We name it, address it and learn again how to live as brothers and sisters. Forgiveness from the heart makes the Father’s mercy visible.
Can I offer others the mercy that I myself have received from God?
Oratio
What I say to God
Our good Father finds greater joy
in one sinner who turns back
than in ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
We too feel deep joy
when we hear the Gospel stories
of the wandering sheep,
the lost coin
and the son who came home.
— Saint Augustine (Confessions 8, 3, 6–8)
Contemplatio
Keep me mindful of you, Lord
In the silence…
Peter asks his question from within a world of counting, much like our own.
Jesus answers with a mercy that refuses a limit.
Stay with the parable and allow its contrast to reach your heart.
Let him look at you
“Should you not have shown mercy too?”
Remember the times when you have received God’s forgiveness, patience and mercy. Notice how continually that mercy surrounds you.
Remain
Acknowledge that you also need forgiveness, love and a life rebuilt.
Pray slowly: “Lord, teach me to forgive as you forgive me.”
To contemplate is to turn our gaze inward, to the place where God dwells.
Communicatio
In community
In him we are one
Share
Speak about what the Lord has stirred in the heart.
Which word or moment touched me most?
What have I discovered about God’s mercy and the invitation he gives me today?
Discern
Listen together for what the Lord may be saying to the community.
What is he saying about the way we forgive one another?
What needs to change so that our relationships become more merciful?
Walk
Choose one concrete act of mercy.
What can I do this week?
How can we help one another to live forgiveness and reconciliation?
Restless, we go forth;
forgiven, we forgive;
together, we live mercy.
Prayer
Thank you, my Lord,
for all you have given me
and inspired within me in this moment.
May my restless heart
never cease to burn
until at last it rests in you,
the one true love.
May everything be for the greater glory of your name,
as we become one mind
and one heart directed towards you,
our God.
Amen.
Prayer
For Vocations
Lord our God,
let the call of your voice reach many hearts.
May they rise and learn to live as one in you.
Prepare their hearts through your Word,
so that they may bring good news to the poor
and care for your abundant harvest.
May all whom you call to Augustinian Recollect life
hear your voice
and have the courage to do your will.
Amen.
And now…
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