Homily 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A I Homily 13 September 2026 Year A

 13 Sept 2026 Sirach 27:30—28:7; Romans 14:7-9, Matthew 18:21-35

My dear friends today we celebrate the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. The readings remind us that because we belong to Christ and have received God’s abundant mercy, we are called to forgive—not by forgetting the hurt, but by refusing to let it control our lives.

The Book of Sirach was written by Jesus ben Sirach, a Jewish wisdom teacher in Jerusalem, probably in the early second century BC. He was concerned with helping people live faithfully in ordinary family and community life. This passage comes within his teaching about relationships, friendship, anger and the danger of allowing resentment to destroy our lives. Sirach warns us that anger can easily become something we hold on to. When we are hurt, we may feel that we have every right to remain angry. We replay the incident, remember the words spoken against us and sometimes even imagine how we might get revenge. But the longer we hold on to resentment, the more it begins to control us. The central message is simple: “Forgive your neighbour the wrong done to you; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” Sirach connects our relationship with others to our relationship with God. How can we ask God for mercy while refusing to show mercy to someone else? The passage does not say that the wrong done to us was insignificant. Forgiveness does not mean pretending that nothing happened. It means choosing not to allow anger and revenge to have the final word. Sirach asks us to “remember the end of your life.” Life is short. Is it worth carrying hatred for years? Sometimes the person who hurt us may never apologise, but we can still choose freedom by forgiving. Is there someone whose name still brings anger into my heart? Can I bring that person before God today and ask for the grace to forgive? Perhaps forgiveness is not something I can accomplish in one moment, but I can begin by saying: “Lord, I am willing to let go. Help me to forgive.”

In the second reading taken from the letter of St Paul to the Romans, St. Paul highlights a profound truth: our life does not belong to us alone; we belong to the Lord. Whether we are alive or have passed from this world, we remain in Christ’s hands. Paul wrote these words while addressing disagreements among Christians about practices such as food and the observance of days. Some believers were judging others because they did not follow the same practices. Paul reminds them that Christ must be at the center of their lives, rather than their personal opinions. This passage therefore invites us to ask: Who is at the center of my life? Sometimes we live as though everything depends on us—our plans, our achievements, our possessions and our reputation. But Paul reminds us that we are not our own masters. Our life is a gift from God and is meant to be lived for him. This is also a comforting message when we think about death. For a Christian, death is not the end of our relationship with Christ. “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” Christ died and rose again so that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead. Today, can I place my life more completely in God's hands? Can I trust him not only with my plans and successes, but also with my fears, uncertainties and ultimately my death? I belong to the Lord—and that is both a challenge and a consolation.

“I have forgiven that person, but I will never forget what he did to me.” Perhaps many of us can identify with that statement. What is one of the most difficult things to do in life? It is to forgive. And the deeper the hurt, the harder forgiveness becomes. A wound caused by a stranger may heal quickly; a wound caused by someone we love can remain for years. Peter asks Jesus, “How often must I forgive?” He suggests seven times, thinking he is being generous. Jesus responds, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Jesus is not asking us to keep a larger count. He is telling us to stop keeping count. Forgiveness is not a mathematical calculation. It flows from the abundant mercy that we ourselves have received from God. Jesus then tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. The first servant receives an enormous debt—something he could never repay—completely forgiven by the king. Yet he refuses to forgive another servant a much smaller debt. The contrast is deliberate: we are people who have received immense mercy, and therefore we are called to show mercy. Sometimes we think that by refusing to forgive, we are punishing the person who hurt us. But often they are not even thinking about the incident anymore—and we are still carrying it. We drink the poison while hoping that the other person will suffer. It affects marriages, families, communities and even religious life. We may be hurt by a superior, a spouse, an in-law, a friend or a community member, and carry that pain for years.

The saints remind us that radical forgiveness is possible. St Maria Goretti forgave the man who attacked her, and Sr Rani Maria's family chose forgiveness toward the man responsible for her death. Their witness shows that forgiveness does not deny the seriousness of evil; it refuses to allow hatred to have the final word. True forgiveness does not necessarily erase the memory. I may still remember what happened. But slowly, the memory loses its power over me. I can remember without hatred. I can speak about it without bitterness. I can pray for the person. And if that person genuinely needs help, I can help without reopening the old wound.

Jesus invites us to look at the bigger picture: How much has God forgiven me? When we remember our own need for mercy, our hearts can gradually become more merciful. Unforgiveness can become a powerful opening for the evil spirit because it keeps us tied to the wound and prevents us from experiencing the freedom Christ wants to give us. The question is: Which spirit am I allowing to guide my response? Perhaps today we cannot forgive completely. Perhaps the wound is still too deep. But we can take the first step. We can bring that person before Jesus. We can say, ‘Lord, I am not yet able to forgive, but I am willing to become willing.’ That may be the beginning of forgiveness. May God bless us all.