24th Sunday of the Year (A)

24th Sunday of the Year (A) - September 11, 2011

Liturgical readings

Sirach 27:30 - 28:9
Psalm 103
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35

"Not seven times; but seventy times seven times."

When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus simply replied: "Seventy times seven times". To know the meaning of this response from Jesus, bible scholars give a clue. Their studies say that the number 7 in the Bible connotes perfection. Applying this meaning to the response of Jesus to Peter, Jesus would not have meant a specific number of times one should forgive his brother. Rather, for lack of exact terminology, and to speak figuratively, Jesus meant "perfect mercy" or "perfect forgiveness". And this the Lord has shown a very good example to all by forgiving His very executioners from the Cross. Remember what He said: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

All people, at one time or another, know of others in their life who have hurt them. In the same manner, they too are aware of the trespasses they have committed against others as well. St. Josemaria Escriva (who founded Opus Dei, and encouraged its members to make confession regularly) says that it would be difficult to forgive if one does not remember a good deed done by people who have committed a transgression against us. But when this counsel of St. Josemaria Escriva is followed and there is prayer for the grace to forgive, this will certainly purify and purge the heart from all forms of resentment and the desire to repay evil for evil. Healing the hurts within is not instant, but God's healing power in His Word and Sacrament, in time, can indeed heal all wounds in life.

At present, when political conflict appears to intensify in many local and global environments, there is a need to be very prudent to avoid hurting or damaging severely any life, relationship or person that can have repercussions to the greater good. Not all are called to be martyrs or victims like our Lord Jesus, St. Stephen the Deacon (Acts 7:60), and Blessed John Paul II (who forgave his assassin publicly). But by the circumstances of living ordinarily in life and work, the majority of the faithful can simply pray patiently for those who have cause hurt and make a sincere act of faith to forgive them, as God Himself has forgiven each one of us from our own acts of hurting others - intentionally or not intentionally.

Memorial of Saints (August 26)

Memorial of Saints (September 11)

Blessed John Gabriel Perboyre joined the Vincentians at 15 years of age. In 1826 A.D., he was ordained and worked well as a seminary professor, a rector and an assistant to the novice master in Paris. When his request to be a missionary to China was approved, he went with great zeal and upon establishing himself there, led many in Hunang, China, to conversion. When persecutions broke out, John Gabriel was arrested, imprisoned and tortured. He died by being strangled to death when he refused to reveal the hiding places of his companions (died ca. 1840 A.D.).

Sts. Protus and Hyacinth are martyrs mentioned in the fourth century list of martyrs, the Depositio Martyrum. They are also mentioned in the Gelasian Sacramentary and the Martyrology of Jerome. St. Hyacinth's tomb was discovered in 1845 A.D. on the Salarian Way. St. Protus' tomb was close to St. Hyacinth's. Inscribed was the name Protus, but his tomb was empty; the relics were transferred to another location in Rome (in the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini). Not much is known of the two martyrs. But their full length images can be found in the mosaics of the basilica of Sant' Appollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy (year of martyrdom unknown).

St. Theodora of Alexandria is the wife of Gregory, prefect of Egypt. Tradition says Theodora left her husband to do penance for a sin she had committed. Then she lived as a monk at a monastery in the Thebaid area of Egypt. She lived there until her last years. Only upon her death did the people discover her to be a hermitess and not a monk (year of death unknown).

St. Paphnutius the Great served as a monk under St. Antony of the Desert. He was then named bishop of Upper Thebaid. Because of the persecutions during the time of Emperor Maximinus, Paphnutius was arrested, tortured and through all this, lost his right eye. He was then condemned to labor in the mines together with other captured Christians. Upon his release, he became a strong influence in the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) and in the Council of Tyre (335 A.D.). He was also instrumental in converting Bishop Maximus of Jerusalem to orthodoxy from his erroneous belief in Arianism (died ca. 350 A.D.).

St. Patiens of Lyons was named bishop in ca. 450 A.D. When the invading Goths ravaged Burgundy in France, a famine resulted. St. Patiens helped many by feeding thousands of his people. Afterwards, he did a lot of things: he built and repaired many churches, fought the Arian heresy, and helped restore peace to the diocese of Chalon-sur-Saône. He also ordered a priest in his diocese, by the name of Constantius, to write on the life of St. Germanus of Auxerre (died ca. 480 A.D.).

St. Deiniol (his Welsh name for the name Daniel) founded a monastery in 514 A.D. at Bangor Fawr, Carnarvonshire. Around the monastery developed the diocese of Bangor in which St. Deiniol was consecrated bishop either by St. Dyfrig or St. David. St. Deiniol then persuaded St. David to attend the synod of Brefi. The tenth century Annales Cambriae give the date of Deiniol's death at 584 A.D.

St. Peter of Chavanon St. Peter of Chavanon was ordained in his hometown of Langeac, Haute-Loire, France. He was given land at Pébrac, Auvergne, wherein he built a monastery for canons regular - following the rule of St. Augustine. When the success of his monastery became known, he was named to reform several cathedral chapters (died ca. 1080 A.D.).

St. Bodo was a native of Toul in France. His brother, St. Salaberga, persuaded him to become a monk. Salaberga also persuaded Bodo's wife to be a nun at Laon. Years later, St. Bodo became bishop of Toul and founded three monasteries (died ca. 670 A.D.).