THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

3 August 2025

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

We are all debtors to God because we have sinned. However, we are also debtors to our fellow men because our sins have injured them as well. Our lack of virtue means that there is that much virtue lacking from the world around us, and everyone around us must suffer this with us. Simply not being as good as we should be is harmful to our neighbors. We are depriving them of some good that God desires them to have. Therefore, it is not enough that we seek only the forgiveness of God; we must also seek the forgiveness of each other in whatever way we have injured them.

When we have injured our neighbors, they have a valid complaint against us before God. If they forgive us, then they will not have any complaint against us before God. We are to seek first to be reconciled with our neighbor before we make our offerings to God (Saint Matthew 5:23-24).

Today, we are reminded that we are all servants or administrators of God. Whatever we possess is not really ours by our own right, but is instead put in our hands by God to administer to others. Everything that we are and have is only entrusted to us by God for His purposes. The servant in today's Gospel reading (Saint Luke 16:1-9) squandered the Master's wealth and saw that he could be the Master's steward no longer. We are all stewards of God, and we will all be called to give an account and cease being His stewards in this life when we are called to enter eternity.

Saint John Chrysostom says: "There is a certain erroneous opinion inborn in mortal men that increases evil doing and lessens good. It is the belief that whatever comes into our possession in this life we possess it as masters of it; and so, when the chance arises, we seize these things as ours by special right. The contrary is true. For we are not placed in this life as lords in our own houses, but as guests and strangers, brought hither whether we would or not, and at a time not of our choosing. He who is now rich in a moment is a beggar. Therefore, whoever you may be, know that you are but an administrator of things that are Another's and that upon you has been bestowed but the right of their brief and passing use. Cast then from your soul the pride of dominion and put on instead the modesty and humility of a steward."

We know that we will one day die and that we will have to give an accounting. All our neighbors will be there to provide testimony for or against us. How can we remove our neighbors' accusations on the Day of Judgement? We must take them away now by forgiving all those who have offended us. In this shared journey of forgiveness, we release our neighbors, at least some of the weight of their sins, by forgiving any injury that we may have received at their hands. In so doing, our neighbors are more likely to forgive us as well. We then become each other's advocates rather than accusers on the Day of Judgement.

How much are we to forgive them? How much do we want them to become our advocates? Do we want complete forgiveness or not? Do we not pray that God will forgive us as we have forgiven our neighbors (Saint Matthew 6:12)?

If we make friends with our fellow men, we transform enemies into friends. We replace hatred with love. While we relieve ourselves of some of the debt we have incurred from our neighbors, we also relieve them of some of the debt they have incurred from us. This transformative power of forgiveness allows us to rise together. And if on Judgment Day there is no one to make accusations against us, we may end up like the woman in the Gospel (Saint John 8:3-11) who was caught in sin and brought before Jesus. When no one was left to accuse her before God, God forgave her and sent her on her way to sin no more. If we can make peace by giving and receiving forgiveness for our sins and offenses from all those around us, we are much more likely to receive God's forgiveness and peace.

Hence, we are not to render evil with evil, but always to be good and spread goodness (1 Saint Peter 3:9). This is our purpose, our mission as Christians. Forgive as we wish to be forgiven (Saint Matthew 6:12). We are to use the blessings we have received from God to relieve our neighbors of at least some of their burdens. As we lighten their crosses, they in turn lighten ours. As we have given and forgiven, so shall we receive and be forgiven.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!