In today’s Gospel, we hear the “Parable of the Unmerciful Servant”. It tells of a servant who was shown unreturnable mercy by the King who cancels his insurmountable debt and spares him from prison. But upon leaving the King’s presence, that same servant refuses to show the same mercy to a fellow servant.
When the King hears of his actions, he has the servant thrown in prison until he has paid all of his debts. Our Lord concludes this story by saying “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Our society has lost understanding of the type of endless mercy Our Lord speaks of in this passage. I would posit this stems from the fact that our society no longer feels it needs that mercy itself.
A society ruled by moral relativism feels all actions are permitted because it has coronated the individual as the King. However, when each individual is their own King, to whom do they owe debts?
As a culture, our society has become oblivious to the insurmountable debt of sin that was paid by Christ on our behalf. So how can people who feel no need for mercy ever be able to show true mercy and forgiveness to others?
This Lent, let us all humble and remind ourselves that we cannot save ourselves. We are not the King. We are lowly servants at the mercy of the King’s just will, and unless we humble ourselves before the King and show the same mercy to others, we will continue to be wicked servants justly deserving of the eternal prison and the weight of unrepayable debt.
Ryan Scheel is the founder of uCatholic, which he has dedicated to providing traditional Catholic information in the modern world.
Thank you for the contemplation. But let us think on Therese of Lisieux and have faithfull trust in the mercifulness of Our Lord
The Servant of servants (JESUS) has set an example… now let us do the same.