Luke 17:1-5: a reflection

1He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” 5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

Jesus gives his disciples a demanding teaching on forgiveness: to forgive a brother who sins against us, again and again, as often as he repents, even seven times in a day. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him, Jesus says. And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns saying, I repent, you shall forgive him. The forgiveness Jesus calls for is not a one-time thing, given grudgingly and then withheld if the offense recurs; it is repeated forgiveness, extended again and again, as often as there is repentance, even many times in a single day. And the disciples' response, feeling the difficulty of this, was to ask the Lord to increase their faith. This shows the call to forgive again and again, as often as there is repentance. Forgive again and again, as often as your brother repents. Forgiveness is to be repeated, not withheld when the offense recurs. Even seven times a day, forgive the one who repents. Such repeated forgiveness needs a faith we must ask God to increase.

Notice the demanding nature of what Jesus calls for, and the disciples' response. Jesus says that if a brother sins against us and repents, we are to forgive him, and this even if he does so seven times in a single day. This is not a limited, one-time forgiveness, given once and then withheld if the person offends again; it is repeated forgiveness, extended again and again, as many times as there is genuine repentance, without keeping count or reaching a limit. This is hard. Our instinct is to forgive perhaps once, but to grow reluctant if the same offense recurs, to feel that repeated offense forfeits forgiveness, to reach a limit of our patience. But Jesus calls us to keep forgiving, as often as there is repentance. And notice the disciples' response: feeling the difficulty of this, they said, increase our faith. They recognized that such repeated forgiveness requires a faith and grace beyond what they had, and asked God for more. This is instructive for us. To forgive again and again, as often as there is repentance, is genuinely hard, beyond our natural inclination; and we do well, like the disciples, to ask God to increase our faith and give us the grace to forgive repeatedly. We do well to forgive again and again those who repent, asking God for the grace to do so. Forgive repeatedly, as often as there is repentance, not keeping count. Repeated forgiveness needs grace we must ask God to give. Do not reach a limit on forgiving those who repent. Ask God to increase your faith to forgive again and again.

That is worth taking to heart, for Jesus calls us to forgive again and again, as often as there is repentance, and to ask God for the grace to do so, as the disciples asked him to increase their faith. We can forgive once but grow reluctant when the same offense recurs, reaching a limit of our patience; but Jesus calls us to keep forgiving, even seven times a day, as often as there is repentance. Such forgiveness needs grace. Do not reach a limit on forgiving those who repent; forgive again and again, asking God to increase your faith for it. Forgive again and again those who repent, as often as there is repentance and without keeping count, asking God for the grace to do so, as Jesus taught his disciples that if a brother sins against us and repents we are to forgive him, even seven times in a day if he returns saying, I repent, and the disciples, feeling the difficulty, asked the Lord to increase their faith; for the forgiveness Jesus calls for is not a one-time thing given grudgingly and withheld if the offense recurs but repeated forgiveness extended again and again as often as there is genuine repentance, without keeping count or reaching a limit, which is hard, since our instinct is to forgive perhaps once but grow reluctant if the same offense recurs and to reach a limit of our patience, but Jesus calls us to keep forgiving as often as there is repentance, and the disciples recognized that such repeated forgiveness requires a faith and grace beyond what they had and asked God for more, which is instructive for us, since to forgive again and again is genuinely hard and beyond our natural inclination, so that we do well, like the disciples, to ask God to increase our faith and give us the grace to forgive repeatedly.

Lord Jesus, you give your disciples a demanding teaching on forgiveness: to forgive a brother who sins against us, again and again, as often as he repents, even seven times in a day. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him, you say. And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns saying, I repent, you shall forgive him. The forgiveness you call for is not a one-time thing, given grudgingly and then withheld if the offense recurs; it is repeated forgiveness, extended again and again, as often as there is repentance. And the disciples' response, feeling the difficulty of this, was to ask you to increase their faith. Show me the demanding nature of what you call for, and the disciples' response. You say that if a brother sins against me and repents, I am to forgive him, even seven times in a single day. This is not a limited, one-time forgiveness; it is repeated forgiveness, extended again and again, as many times as there is genuine repentance, without keeping count. This is hard. My instinct is to forgive perhaps once, but to grow reluctant if the same offense recurs, to reach a limit of my patience. But you call me to keep forgiving, as often as there is repentance. And the disciples, feeling the difficulty, said, increase our faith. They recognized that such repeated forgiveness requires a faith and grace beyond what they had. This is instructive for me. To forgive again and again is genuinely hard, beyond my natural inclination. Take that to my heart, for you call me to forgive again and again, as often as there is repentance, and to ask you for the grace to do so. Keep me from reaching a limit on forgiving those who repent; help me forgive again and again, Lord, as often as there is repentance, and increase my faith to give me the grace for it, as the disciples asked you.