21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”
22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22 CSB)
There has been a lot of press around the ”cancel culture” we now live in. If we decide we do not like something or someone, we work to cancel them. This is where a social media driven society has brought us. That, and a lack of God within society.
In our scripture today, Jesus was not giving Peter a calculation to determine just how many times we are to forgive. He was telling Peter that our forgiveness should have no bounds. It should go on without measure.
Yet how often do we keep count of others indiscretions against us?
We are called to unity and called to forgiveness and love. Our world is one that condemns and does not forget, but we are called to be better than this, to live in a different way.
If we, like society at large, condemn and cancel our brothers and sisters in the faith we do not have the love of God within us. Should we confront, should we compromise, should we counsel…yes, we should. But we must do so in both love and with an air of humility that calls us to confront, compromise and counsel ourselves first.
