The following Homily is provided by Friar Sidney as a way
     of enriching the ministry of the Word as presented through
     this web site.  Friar Sidney, who has spent much of his
     ministry in India, is currently a Professor of Philosophy
     in Rome.  He can be reached at smascarenhas@ofm.org.  The texts
     used by Friar Sydney come from the Roman Lectionary - which in
     most points agrees with the Revised Common Lectionary.


READINGS:  
Ecclesiasticus 27:30-28:7.  Romans 14:7-9.  Matthew 18:21-35.


INTRODUCTION:
What makes man so different from the rest of Creation?  It is the
mystery of his sense of forgiveness.  Let us meditative on this
great mystery of forgiveness that preserves in man a hope against
hope.


HOMILY:
There was once an elephant who had a very loving mahout.  This
elephant loved to serve and did whatever he was asked by the
mahout.  The mahout took care of the needs of the elephant but
was too poor to procure enough food for it.  So each evening, on
the way back from their work, the mahout used to make a round of
the houses in the village.  Most people gave the elephant
something to eat.  But once, they made a stop by the tailor's
shop.  The tailor, instead of offering something or nothing to
eat, took his needle and gave the elephant a good prick.  The
elephant and his mahout went off in silence.  

Some months later, a destructive storm took place.  Many houses
collapsed.  Also the tailor's house collapsed.  Many people lay
under the debris.  So several survivors rushed to the mahout to
get the elephant to help in the rescue operations.  The elephant
willingly went with his mahout.  The elephant lifted logs and
enabled those trapped inside their fallen houses to come out
alive.  Then the elephant and the mahout arrived at the tailor's
house.  There also the elephant lifted up the log.  The tailor
rushed out.  But as soon as he was out, the elephant let the logs
crash once more on the tailor. 

Yeah, elephant's have a good memory.  But their memory stores no
forgiveness. 

Today's readings remind all of us to store in plenty the sense of
forgiveness.  The sense of forgiveness make us true and authentic
humans. 

There is a lot of wrong doing in our world.  We all are indebted
to one another for something or the other.  We may ask ourselves
why is there so much of wrong being done to one another.  The
answer is this: How else can our sense of forgiveness be
activated and triggered?

God created everything.  All that He created was good.  Yet the
crown of His creation did Him and Creation much wrong.  Imagine
the injustices and exploitive actions we perform with each other!
Imagine the atheist even denying His Creator.  Yet God has a
great sense of forgiveness.  He lets the Sun shine on even the
atheist.

Without this sense of Forgiveness we humans would die embittered
creatures.  But, if like the Triune God, we let the Sun shine on
evil as it shines on good, then, we will see evil turn into good. 

Shalom!

   
copyright - Friar Sydney Mascarenhas and  Rev. Richard J. Fairchild 1999 - 2005
            please acknowledge the appropriate author if citing these sermons.