Peter asks a very valid question today: “How many times must I forgive a sister or brother (who has not even necessarily repented or asked for forgiveness) – as many as seven times?” He points to the reality that forgiving someone is not easy. It is one thing to forgive a person who asks for mercy; it is quite another to forgive even when they don’t deserve it. Perhaps Peter is alluding to the first time the topic of vengeance and revenge is spoken of in the bible – with Lamech (a descendent of Cain) who boasts to his wives (already a bad sign) about the spiralling out of control of this cycle of violence and the perpetuation of the myth of redemptive violence:

Then Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice;
O wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for injuring me.
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech will be avenged
seventy and seven times.   Genesis 4:23-24

In answer to this, Jesus says: no, not seven times, but  “hebdomekontakis hepta” times – which can equally be translated as 77 times or 70 x 7 times. Which doesn’t mean that we should start keeping track and we are let off the hook once we are able to forgive someone 490 times (which would be for each individual offence anyway). The story that Jesus tells next highlights the limitless quality of mercy. Two servants owe money. The first servant owes the equivalent of $10,000,000,000 to the king; the second servant owes the first servant the equivalent of $20,000 (using the rate of a daily labourer as $200). Even though after pleading the first servant is forgiven this huge sum of money, he does not learn the lesson of mercy and does not let go of the need to seek revenge. So when the second servant pleads to him in exactly the same words as he uses, he is not moved to mercy. And as a result he must face the consequences until he does.

** I leave this week for sabbatical leave, travelling first to Brisbane to take part in Ignite Conference, before travelling to Boston to take part in a thirty-day Ignatian silent retreat at the Campion Center, before going to Jerusalem to take part in the sabbatical program at Tantur Center, returning to Australia for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Sydney in December. **