Homily
for September 17, 2017
Looking at
today’s first reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus, you would agree with me
that it is already a complete homily on its own. All I would do now is to
highlight the points and see how the other readings add flesh to the message.
*Anger is
a sin.*
As our
first reading puts it: “Anger and wrath, these are also abominations, and the
sinful man will possess them.” Note that there is a difference between becoming
angry (a natural human reaction) and harbouring anger and bitterness in your
heart.
I could be
angry right now but if I don’t let that anger go, if I continue to act based on
my anger and I begin to plan revenge and retaliation, my anger becomes a sin. No
wonder St. Paul says: “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on
your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27.
Anger is a
sin because the devil always capitalizes on it, takes possession of our souls
and make us take decisions, say things and behave in a way we later regret. According
to St. Bernard: “The eye disturbed by anger cannot sin.”
*How do I
prevent anger from leading me into sin?*
As St.
Paul would say, “By not letting the sun set on our anger.” In other words, by
forgiving quickly and immediately. Time is a key factor when it comes to
forgiveness, the earlier I forgive, the easier it is but when I delay
forgiveness, the devil takes advantage of it and makes the offence look bigger
and bigger in my eyes.
Then before
you know it, I begin to tell myself I can’t forgive again. What is really
happening is that the devil wants me to hold on to my anger and remain sad.
St. Paul
tells us in our second reading today, “none of us lives to himself… whether we
live or we die, we belong to the Lord.” The devil knows we don’t belong to him
but the only way he can hold on to us is through anger and bitterness so he is
happy when we refuse to forgive and drop our anger.
*Each time
I forgive, I do Myself a Great favour.*
Our first
reading again says: “Forgive your neighbour the wrong he had done, then your sins
will be pardoned when you pray.” This is exactly what Jesus teaches us in the
Lord’s Prayer, “if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15. As painful as forgiveness is, we are always the
one benefitting from it when we forgive and we gain nothing when we refuse to
forgive.
Do you
remember the story of the Prodigal son? Let’s look at the elder brother. He
came back from work and noticed the sound of music in the house and asks what
is happening, he is told of the return of his brother but instead of going in,
he shuts himself out. His father had to come outside to beg him but he refuses.
This is what happens to us each time we refuse to forgive; we keep ourselves
outside of God’s Kingdom.
As Ronald
Rolheiser puts it: “What is keeping him outside, since, after all, he is doing
everything correctly? Bitterness and Anger. A bitter, unforgiving heart is just
as much a blockage to entering God’s house as is any moral transgression. We
can be scrupulously faithful and still find ourselves standing outside of God’s
house and outside of the circle of community and celebration because of a
bitter heart.”
*To be
bitter is to be in Hell*
If you want
to know how hell feels like, then observe how sad you feel when you see a brother
or sister that you have refused to forgive. Let it not be that after living a
good life on earth, keeping all the commandments of God only for me to get to
heaven and meet certain persons there that I have refused to forgive then I
tell God I am not going in. When I don’t forgive, I not only make life hell for
me, I also make myself a perfect candidate for hell when I die.
According
to St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, “to yield to anger is never profitable to
ourselves or to others. If it produces no other evil, it at least robs us of
peace. Aggripinus the philosopher having once lost some of his goods said: ‘if I
have lost my property I will not lose my peace.’ The disturbance of mind to
which we give way on account of the maltreatment we receive from others is more
hurtful to us than the injuries offered to us. Senaca has said: ‘My anger will
hurt me more than their insults.’ He who indulges in anger is a cause of pain
to himself.”
When I refuse
to forgive, the person I am angry with is walking about freely but due to my
bitterness, I surround myself with evil spirits; these evil spirits will won’t
allow me eat because they are reminding of what people did to me, when I lie
down, the evil spirits will not let me sleep because they are reminding me of
what the person did, I become a prisoner, I become restless and my health is
affected.
*But
should I always forgive?*
This is
where the words of Jesus in our Gospel passage today comes to play. When Peter
asked about the number of times to forgive, he was expecting seven since the
number seven symbolizes completion or perfect. But he was shocked that Jesus
said: “No, seventy times seven.” Meaning we should not even count it.
One thing
we must know is that unforgiveness does no good to us whatsoever, we gain
nothing by holding on to pain and bitterness. Unforgiveness also does no good
to the person we are angry with. Unforgiveness will not even bring the person
to repentance or make him change his ways. Unforgiveness will not solve the
problem at all or bring us restitution. Unforgiveness will not even stop the
person from offending you again or even doing a greater harm when you now
become enemies but forgiving the person earns you a friend instead.
Unforgiveness
will only make God angry with us since we are withholding from others what he
himself has given to us in a greater proportion. If I find it difficult to
forgive, I only need to take a record of my sins since I was born and weigh
them in comparison to what others have done to me. It will be like the man who
was forgiven ten thousand talents yet he could not forgive one hundred denarii.
*Conclusion*
It always
looks foolish to forgive, it looks like we are weak when we forgive, it is
always a sacrifice to forgive but the truth is that we aren’t wiser, stronger
or better when we do not forgive. We always do ourselves a greater good when we
let go and forgive. Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I shall return. (Job
1:21) What do I have in this world that I was given? What is it that can be
taken from me that I will not eventually leave behind when I die? Nothing!
Nothing!
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, I surrender my pains, my bitterness, my anger to you. I drop
them at your feet as my gift since I have nothing better to give you. I leave
them and walk away knowing I am free; free to live again; free to love again even
those who I once carried in my heart. Amen.
Happy
Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God
bless you. (Twenty fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A. Bible Study: Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9, Romans 14:7-9 and Matthew
18:21-35.)
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