Forgiveness is a recurring theme in our faith, because it is one of the cornerstones of Christianity, and because it is one of the hardest virtues to practice.

In the parable, an official owed the king a huge sum of money and could not repay him. When the official pleaded for mercy and promised to pay the debt in due time, the king relented and even wrote off the debt. But this same official put a fellow servant in jail because the latter couldn’t repay him for a much smaller debt. When the king heard of this, he became justifiably angry and put the official in jail.

“So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister?” (Mt 18: 35) Forgiveness is mending a broken relationship so it can become whole again. We ask for this grace when we recite the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” How many times should we forgive someone? Jesus says, “seventy times seven times,” which means forgiving – wholeheartedly forgiving – over and over again.