Jesus teaches us that if we want God to forgive us, then we must start by forgiving others.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
One day Jesus told this story:
"There was once a king who had many servants. One servant owed the king a great deal of money, but he had nothing to pay him with. 'I will sell you and your family as slaves, and use the money to pay for your debts,' said the King.
The servant fell to his knees and begged for another chance, 'Somehow I will repay everything I owe you,' he pleaded. The king was a kind and generous man and, taking pity on the servant, canceled his debts and lethim go.
Later that day, the servant met another man who owed him a small amount of money. When he could not pay what he owed, the servant had him thrown into jail.
When the news reached the king he sent for the unforgiving servant. 'Could you not forgive someone just as I forgave you?' he asked. Then he had the servant thrown into prison until he could pay back all that he owed the king."
Jesus said, "Just as my father forgives you, so you must be ready to forgive others with all your heart".
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eprbsmynyIo (Credit to Catholic Kids Media)
Say: In our everyday life there are many occasions in which we seek someone's forgiveness or find that another person is seeking our forgiveness. Think back over the past week or so and recall some of these occasions.
Say: Each of us handles such situations differently. We may handle situations differently depending on the situation that requires forgiveness. Today's parable teaches about the quality of forgiveness and how one ought to behave once God has forgiven you.
Ask: What does the servant do that makes the king angry? (He refuses to forgive his fellow servant the debt that he owes.) Because we have all received God's forgiveness, God expects that we will also be forgiving toward others. We must forgive one another from the heart.
