Entries

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

September 13, 2026

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

Look upon us, O God,
Creator and ruler of all things,
and, that we may feel the working of your mercy,
grant that we may serve you with all our heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Sir 27:30-28:7

Anger and wrath, these are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them. 1 The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance, for he keeps a strict account of their sins. 2 Forgive your neighbour the wrong that is done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. 3 Does anyone harbour anger against an other, and expect healing from the Lord? 4 If one has no mercy toward an other like oneself, can one then seek pardon for one’s own sins? 5 If a mere mortal harbours wrath, who will make an atoning sacrifice for that one’s sins? 6 Remember the end of your life, and set enmity aside; remember corruption and death, and be true to the commandments. 7 Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbour; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook faults.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1-2,3-4,9-10,11-12

R. The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.

Second Reading Rom 14:7-9

My brothers and sisters, 7 we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Alleluia Jn 13:34

Gospel Mt 18:21-35

Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, a brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 The lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 “When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Catena Nova

We are all in debt to God, just as other people are in debt to us. Is there anyone who is not God’s debtor? Only a person in whom no sin can be found. And is there anyone who has no brother or sister in his debt? Only if there be someone who has never suffered any wrong. Do you think anyone can be found in the entire human race who has not in turn wronged another in some way, incurring a debt to that person? No, all are debtors, and have others in debt to them. Accordingly, God who is just has told you how to treat your debtor, because he means to treat his in the same way…. If we think of our sins, reckoning those we have committed by sight, hearing, thought, and countless disorderly emotions, I do not know whether we can even sleep without falling into debt. And so, every day we pray; every day we beat upon God’s ears with our pleas; every day we prostrate ourselves before him saying: Forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us. Which of our trespasses, all of them or only some? All, you will answer. Do likewise, therefore, with those who have offended you. (St. Augustine)

Christ gave his life for you, and do you hold a grudge against your fellow servant? How then can you approach the table of peace? Your Master did not refuse to undergo every kind of suffering for you, and will you not even forgo your anger?… If you refuse to forgive your enemy you harm not him but yourself… There is no one God detests and repudiates more than the person who bears a grudge, whose heart is filled with anger, whose soul is seething with rage. (Saint John Chrysostom)

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. (CS Lewis)

Putting up with annoying people: This too is a work of mercy, and we don’t always recognize it as such. Living side by side, we Christians certainly try to love one another according to Jesus’ example and commandment. But despite everyone’s good will, occasionally people with very different personalities end up living together. Thus it is comforting to know that to put up with others is a work of mercy: to endure their behavior, their awkward manner, their nagging; basically to lovingly disregard what are really minor shortcomings. Similar to feeding the hungry and visiting the sick, this is one of the works that will be asked of us at our final examination (Chiara Lubich).

God's forgiveness is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking. It is this divine forgiveness that I have to practice in my daily life. It tells me to keep stepping over all my arguments that say forgiveness is unwise, unhealthy, and impractical. It challenges me to step over all my needs for gratitude and compliments. Finally, it demands of me that I step over that wounded part of my heart that feels hurt and wronged and that wants to stay in control and put a few conditions between me and the one I am asked to forgive. This "stepping over" is the authentic discipline of forgiveness (Henri Nouwen).

Someone can give up doing something held a vice only to turn into a persecutor of those who lack his same moral fibre. That is not a Christian conversion. The authentic convert always writes a story of his or her discovery of mercy, which means that they learn to create mercy, and not despite, for others. This rule of grammar we find set out in the parable of the servant who was let off all he owed by the King his creditor, but who didn’t forgive the tiny debt his colleague had with him (Matt. 18:23-34) (James Alison).

Today’s parable helps us to grasp fully the meaning of that phrase we recite in the Lord’s Prayer: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (see Mt 6:12). These words contain a decisive truth. We cannot demand God’s forgiveness for ourselves if we in turn do not grant forgiveness to our neighbour. It is a condition. Think of your end, of God’s forgiveness, and stop hating. Reject resentment, that bothersome fly that keeps coming back. If we do not strive to forgive and to love, we will not be forgiven and loved either. (Pope Francis)

Homily

Forty trillion dollars. That's the national debt of the United States. And pretty much what that poor guy in the parable owed his boss —- an astronomical amount and unpayable, no matter how generous the terms. That "huge amount" — which for some reason our translation obscures — was ten thousand talents, an amount worth millions of dollars and several hundred thousand years' wage. By contrast, the "much smaller amount" owed by the other servant — a hundred denarii — was worth about four month's wages. The translator, once again, obscures the difference. But the Rabbi from Nazareth, in typical fashion, was exaggerating to make a point. Something Peter didn't quite get. I can imagine him getting out an abacus to tally the number of times he forgave someone something — making sure they did not exceed the limit of seventy-seven times. Perhaps you can think of someone who has met their quota!

Now where might we find a living parable to highlight Jesus' own? Well, I'd like to tell you about two sisters both of whom had siblings — one a sister, the other a brother. The first is Sr. Jean Klimczak — a Sister of St. Joseph from Buffalo — whose sister Karen, also a member of that order, ran a halfway house for ex-cons to help offenders transition back into society. Craig Lynch, 36, was a parolee staying at the shelter. He attacked and killed Sr. Karen when she walked in on him stealing her cell phone to feed his drug addiction. At his sentencing Sr. Jean read from a letter Sr. Karen wrote 15 years earlier, having had a premonition something like this would happen to her. The letter read in part:

“Dear Brother, I don’t know what the circumstances are that will lead you to hurt me or destroy my physical body. No, I don’t want it to happen. I would much rather enjoy the beauties of this earth, experience the laughter, the fears and the tears of those I love so deeply! .... Now my life is changed, and you, my brother, were the instrument of that change. I forgive you for what you have done and I will always watch over you, help you in whatever way I can. . . . .The most difficult experiences in life can sometimes reap the greatest growth for us ... God bless!”

Craig died in prison on June 28th of this year — a little over 20 years since that day in the courtroom. In April a Buffalo TV station ran a piece to commemorate the anniversary. It highlighted how her legacy lives on at Bissonette House where she was killed. The Sisters of St. Joseph have also established a center for nonviolence named after her while her deat sparked the “I Leave Peaceprints” with the peace dove as its symbol. Sr. Jean remembers how, "Karen told me, 'You leave your fingerprints on everything. We need to be people who leave imprints of peace wherever we go in our world.' That's what she was about and that is what she challenged others to do."

Then there's Roseline Hamel, sister of French priest Fr. Jacque Hamel. He was killed in Normandy while saying Mass in a terrorist attack in 2016 committed by two Muslim teenagers, both of whom were killed by police. Her story involves the mother of one of the boys, Nasser Kermiche. Overcome by grief it dawned on Roseline one day that the mothers of the two boys must also be suffering. After much prayer she "imagined [one of the mother's] pain, her torment and the months of struggle she had endured with her young son, who had allowed himself to be drawn down a path his mother would never have wanted for him." That realization moved her to get in touch with Nasser, first on the phone with brief conversations and finally in person.

When they finally met in person at Roseline's home, the first words out of Nassera's mouth were, "Forgive me, forgive me" — though nothing implicated her or her husband in their son's actions. Further encounters, conferences and a book followed as they became "sisters in sorrow." In a recent interview, Roseline had this to say about their ongoing collaboration:

against all expectations, it is possible to meet one another beyond pain, beyond an offence, beyond criticism, beyond prejudice and beyond our differences. That is the meaning of our example and our testimony. Because Nassera and I dared to meet one another, together we rediscovered our inner peace, a new breath of life and a strength of hope that we believed had been lost forever. I therefore address this message to everyone: let us dare to encounter one another beyond our differences and our prejudices. To encounter God is to encounter the other. These phrases may sound ordinary, but they carry a precious weight. By daring to reach out to the other—to embrace their differences, their trials and their suffering—our encounters build up humanity, strengthen fraternity and leave no room for hatred, revenge or violence. (August 24, 2026)

And what of us who, like the second servant in the parable, either owe a much smaller amount or to whom such is owed by those in our debt? Unless each of us forgives our brother or sister from our heart — we can expect little consideration. And with an example such as given us by Sr. Karen and Roseline, I'd best be calling the bank and forgive them the loan (cf. G)

For God is the One to whom we owed an infinite debt on account of our sins, and who paid it in full with the blood of Christ. This is why Christ died and came to life (II): that we might know unmerited, undeserved, and unobtainable forgiveness from the mercy of God who redeems our life from destruction, and crowns us with kindness and compassion. (RP). Who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.

Intercessions

For the grace to forgive those who have wronged us: that God will free our hearts to forgive others as God forgives us.

For a deep awareness of God’s boundless forgiveness: that in the midst of our weaknesses, we may recognize how God’s forgiveness sustains us each day.

For all who have injured or wronged us: that God’s love will heal them and us so that we may walk together again in God’s service.

For healing of anger and resentment: that the Spirit will heal those painful experiences and free us to live fully for Christ.

For freedom from vengeance and retaliation: that God will turn hearts from violence and increase our desire to seek the good for each person.

For all who have experienced violence, terrorism, or war: that God will help them break the cycle of violence and make life giving choices out of their pain.

For a healing of the nations: that world leaders may lay aside pride, image and threats so that the greater good may be advanced for all the human family.

For nations and communities in strife: that God will bring an end to violence and chaos in cities and the countryside, and open a pathway for justice and peace to be established.

For all who have been impacted by weather events: that God will give them strength, protect them from harm and give them hope.

For relief and aid workers: that God will renew their strength, keep them safe in their service, and sustain their families and loved ones.

For the members of Congress: that God will give them wisdom and insight as they debate and develop policies on immigration and refugee assistance.

For greater stewardship of the earth: that God will help us recognize the consequences of our actions and the impact that chemical usage will have on future generations.

O God most high, you are slow to anger and rich in compassion. Keep alive in us the memory of your mercy, that our angers may be calmed and our resentments dispelled. May we discover the forgiveness promised to those who forgive and become a people rich in mercy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Offertory Antiphon

Offertory Hymn

'Forgive our sins as we forgive,'
you taught us, Lord, to pray,
but you alone can grant us grace
to live the words we say.

How can your pardon reach and bless
the unforgiving heart,
that broods on wrongs and will not let
old bitterness depart?

In blazing light your cross reveals
the truth we dimly knew:
what trivial debts are owed to us,
how great our debt to you!

Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls,
and bid resentment cease;
then, bound to all in bonds of love,
our lives will spread your peace.

Communion Antiphon

Closing Hymn

There's a wideness in God's mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior;
there is healing in his blood.

There is no place where earth's sorrows
are more felt than in heaven;
there is no place where earth's failings
have such kind judgment given.
There is plentiful redemption
in the blood that has been shed;
there is joy for all the members
in the sorrows of the Head.

For the love of God is broader
than the measure of man's mind;
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more faithful,
we should take him at his word;
and our life would be thanksgiving
for the goodness of the Lord.

Archives