I would recommend watching the movie Silence. Based on the. directed by renowned Martin Scorcese, Silence follows the exploits

Transcription

1 Homily for the 24 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 2017: Mt 18:21-35 If you subscribe the movie and TV steaming service Netflix s and are looking for a movie that will both inspire and challenge you, I would recommend watching the movie Silence. Based on the acclaimed novel by Japanese Catholic author Shusaku Endo and directed by renowned Martin Scorcese, Silence follows the exploits of 3 Jesuit priests who seek to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a time when Christianity was outlawed in Japan. I will refrain from sharing too much of the plot line of this movie so as not to spoil it for anyone interested in viewing it, or better, to read the actual novel on which the movie was based. But I would like to share one of the interesting side stories that occurs throughout this film. It revolves around the difficult relationship between Father Rodriguez, one of the Jesuit missionaries, and a Japanese man named Moichi. Moichi was baptized as a Christian but struggled to live his Christian faith with integrity. He complained to Fr. Rodriguez that he

2 was a weak man and though he hated falling into sin, he repeated the same sins of betrayal again and again. After each fall, he would beg Fr Rodriguez to hear his confession and be washed clean of his sins. Moichi will eventually betray Fr Rodriguez to the Japanese authorities and while in prison the Jesuit s torturers permit Moichi to find the priest and once again beg him for confession. Though he had been betrayed time and again by this man, he nonetheless heard his confession, gave him absolution and send him on his way, being more or less certain that Moichi was likely to fall again and come back to him to be forgiven. In this regard, one could say that Fr Rodriguez took to heart the words of our Lord that we are not to forgive seven times, but seventy times seven. St John Chrysostom taught that in Hebrew, the figure of seventy times seven means the same as always, therefore our Lord did not limit forgiveness to a fixed number, but declared that it must be continuous and forever. (Chrysostom, Hom. On St Matthew, 6). This is one of the incredible blessings that flows forth

3 from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, that as long as someone has even the tiniest bit of sorrow and contrition for their sin, then that person can receive absolution as often as possible, with no limit being placed on how many times God will grant His forgiveness to someone through the hands of a priest. In a spiritual sense, every confession is like wiping clean the debt of ten thousand talents or one hundred million denarii, a sum of incredible value! The Original Sin of Adam and Eve was enough to bring death upon the entire human race, and so too we should realize that our sins also carry with them the wages of spiritual death, which if left too long un-repented can turn our hearts cold to God s love and indifferent to whether we are saved or damned. What is confounding in the movie Silence concerning Fr Rodriguez is that while he was willing to forgive Moichi and others for their many sins, one can sense that he struggled to forgive himself for his sins. Once again, I will let you watch the movie or read the book to understand more fully what I am referring to, but it

4 appears whether in his pride, wounded self-righteousness, and anger at God s apparent silence in the midst of suffering, Fr Rodriguez convinced himself he could not be forgiven for his sin or repent of his wrong doing. When compared to the sins of Moichi, one could argue that Fr Rodriguez s offences were more like the debt of one hundred denarii, a hefty sum but one that could certainly be repaid. Yet Fr Rodriguez held on to his own debt of sin, refusing to seek forgiveness and refusing to accept that God could have mercy on him. The sad reality for many people, both Christian and non- Christian alike, is that they have the capacity to forgive others, even for the most heinous evils, and yet they cannot forgive themselves for their own sins and failures. There can be many reasons why this is so, from an unwillingness to let go of one s pride and ego that convinces oneself they are beyond forgiveness to a wounded vision of oneself as having no self worth or value in the eyes of God and others.

5 Or perhaps the source of this unwillingness to forgive oneself could be found in the words of the Prophet Sirach who declared anger and wrath, these are abominations, yet a sinner hold on to them. When someone allows both anger and wrath to permeated throughout their life, not only will they seek to unleash their anger and wrath on others, but also direct it against oneself, causing deep, self inflicted wounds that if not healed by God s mercy can begin to cause a cruel bitterness and self hatred to prevent the Lord s forgiveness from healing one s life. There are many reasons why someone may begin to think they cannot be forgiven and it is important that when we hear someone speaking of themselves in this way, that we don t shrug our shoulders and keep quiet but ask how we can help them. Be it through prayer, a willingness to listen to another sorrow s, offering words of affirmation or inviting someone to bring their sins to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as Christians we must help to bring those who can t forgive themselves to see that God

6 wants to forgive them, and will forgive them seventy times seven times if necessary! If you know of someone who needs this help, don t hesitate to offer what you can! As means to help them, I will leave you with a short prayer by St Therese of Lisieux that I hope can remind even someone trapped in a sense of self loathing that they are of infinite value and worth in the eyes of God and others: May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us.