Matthew 18:21–35, Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent

Yesterday, I came upon a quote that I have read so many times in the past but one that continues to move me –
“It’s madness to hate all roses
because you got scratched with one thorn,
to give up all dreams
because one of them didn’t come true,
to give up all attempts
because one of them failed.
It’s folly to condemn all your friends
because one has betrayed you,
to no longer believe in love
just because someone was unfaithful
or didn’t love you back,
to throw away all your chances to be happy
because something went wrong.
There will always be another opportunity,
another friend,
another love,
a new strength.
For every end,
there is always a new beginning…..
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

The inspiring part in that quote is the quiet strength that blooms in the midst of many discouragements and setbacks. The quotation somehow encourages us to try again, realizing that the next time will be better. The word that comes to mind is re-set – to begin again, to be renewed, to not give-up, to do it again, to try again, to re-set.

A spiritual re-set is offered to us every year. In Lent, we are given that opportunity, that environment. We are reminded and are given the chance to try again, to be renewed. To re-set.
In our lives, even how carefully and cautiously we live it – we are hurt and we hurt others. A rose can scratch us, and we can damage others; we get betrayed by friends and sometimes, we betray our friends; a friend can block and hinder our dreams and sometimes, we block and hinder the dreams of our loved ones. These can send our spirits low – not to trust others, not even to trust ourselves.

The Gospel for today offers us a way to renewal, a way to re-set: forgiveness, and corollary to that, asking for forgiveness. In the Gospel today, Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”

Forgiveness of another initially feels difficult. Ang hirap. Lisod kaayo. It feels easier just to remain angry, it sometimes feels even better to get even. We want to remain the same. Inertia, not to change, not to forgive. And yet, unless we forgive, and/or feel forgiven, we do not really feel free. Walang magbabago. We remain stuck.

The spirit of Lent challenges us to see what parts of our lives need to be re-set. Persons we need to forgive, even if they do not say sorry or are not even remorseful. Sometimes, we also need to forgive ourselves, for the opportunities we missed, for the hurts we have caused others, for the indolence that kept us from trying. There are even times when we need to have that deep conversation with God, perhaps to forgive Him, and come to terms that we cannot understand or make sense of everything that happens in our life. There are invitations to forgive that we have turned down in the past because we were not ready then; but just maybe, now, this Lent, this time, we are ready.

Re-set. Let us pray that this Lent may lead us to re-set our lives, may lead us to true repentance and forgiveness.

And then finally, we hope that we are able to see, as the quote from the Little Prince says, that new beginning in the life that we are seeking: someone who is more free. The pain and suffering may not be completely gone, but we know we are more aligned to God’s goodness and truth. And only then can we experience deeper joy and peace that comes from a right relationship with the Lord. Amen.