A reading from the prophet Daniel (3:25, 34-43)
Azariah stood still in the heart of the fire, praying aloud, and he said:
‘For the sake of your name do not abandon us for ever,
do not repudiate your covenant,
do not withdraw your mercy
for the sake of Abraham, your friend,
of Isaac, your servant, and of Israel, your holy one,
to whom you promised to make their descendants as many as the stars of heaven
and as the grains of sand on the seashore.
Lord, we have become the least of all nations,
we are put to shame today throughout the world because of our sins.
We now have no leader, no prophet, no prince,
no burnt offering, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense,
no place where we can make offerings to you and win your mercy.
But in contrition of heart and humility of spirit
may we be as acceptable to you as burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
as thousands of fat lambs:
such let our sacrifice be to you today
and may it please you that we follow you wholeheartedly
since there is no shame for those who trust in you.
And now with our whole heart we follow you,
we revere you and seek your face once more.
Do not put us to shame
but treat us according to your graciousness,
according to the abundance of your mercy.
Rescue us in accordance with your wonderful deeds
and win fresh glory for your name, O Lord.’
The editor of the book of Daniel has added wonderful prayers to the story of the three young men thrown into the furnace by king Nebuchadnezzar. Azariah’s prayer of penance reminds God of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as acknowledging the sin of the people which has led to their present situation of exile and distress. Azariah provides a list of the things of which they are deprived in their exile in a pagan land, from true leadership to the incense of prayer. Despite this he knows that ‘contrition of heart and humility of spirit’ are a worthy offering to God, as acceptable as the sacrifices laid down by the law. He asks God to show kindness, ‘according to the abundance of your mercy’. In this way God will ‘win fresh glory for your name’.
Psalm 25 (24) May God ‘remember’ his compassion and his acts of mercy shown from ancient times, so that God’s mercy may be seen again.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (18:21-35)
Then Peter went up to him and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother or sister who wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. And so the kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, someone was brought who owed him ten thousand talents; he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment made. So the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet, with the words, “Be patient with me and I will pay you everything.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now on his way out the servant met one of his fellow-servants who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to throttle him, saying, “Pay what you owe.” His fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, “Be patient with me and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow-servants were deeply distressed at what was happening, and they went and reported to their master everything that had happened. Then the master sent for the man and said to him, “You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother and sister from your heart.’
This famous parable of the unforgiving debtor comes at the end of the discourse on community, the fourth major speech of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew. It is as if the final and most important teaching that communities must learn is about forgiveness, that we should forgive others as we are forgiven by the Lord. The amount of money he owes to the king is astronomical, but the prayer of this first debtor for forgiveness has the effect of his debt being wiped out. The second debtor, who owes comparatively little, a sum a labourer might earn in a matter of weeks, uses the same words in his prayer: ‘Be patient with me and I will pay you.’ But he fails to obtain forgiveness. The outrageous behavior of the unforgiving debtor seems almost to justify his terrible punishment.
‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’
Pray for those who are stuck in resentment and cannot forgive.