To the question of Saint Peter how many times should we forgive a brother if he hurts us again while mentioning in his declarations the number seven which we assimilate symbolically within the framework of this meditation to the seven days of the week, Jesus subsequently clarified as Saint Matthew reports to us in the 22nd verse of the 18th chapter of his gospel: «No, not seven times » answered Jesus, « seventy times seven. » (The Good News Bible with deuterocanonical books)
He may have given this answer to let us know that it may not just be one offense in a day, a week, a month, or a year, but multiple offenses at once during these same periods, and that it is not only about the other, but also everything that we do wrong, consciously or not and to which God always grants His forgiveness to those who ask Him because as verse 3 of Psalm 130 says, “LORD, if you punished people for all their sins, no one would be left » (New century version)
Forgiveness: an unalterable free gift
The figures mentioned in this dialogue have a symbolic value which does not limit the forgiveness which comes from God but exceeds and above all not unconditionally the limits of what Men can qualify as unforgivable. Even if it must be clarified that we are in the context of intimacy with God independently of the considerations of the society in which we live, Men must always be prepared to receive the grace of forgiveness. If God is indeed Forgiveness, Mercy and Compassion, in other words, if He forgives everything, if He is aware of the feverishness of a human existence doomed to death without a helping hand and if He always has a loving look which calls for repentance despite the fact that the main people concerned are detestable individuals likely to have a bad influence on us, this should not be a pretext for taking Him for an idiot.
Human beings have gotten into the habit of using the Holy Scriptures to console themselves and at the same time cover up their lack of sincerity. They know what not to do, but they only do it because they tell themselves that God is merciful, perhaps without knowing that this mercy is much more beneficial for those who first show mercy towards themselves; that is to say, having a genuine intention to change or being motivated by a real desire to become a better person through the actions we take. He who is not sincere with himself will not take advantage of and will not even receive the undeserved grace that he has received or that he is predestined to receive.
Also read : Forgiveness as a consequences of a sincere contrition
While specifying that: despite the fact that no one deserves forgiveness that God is always ready and despite everything to give to everyone, we must still show ourselves worthy of receiving it or of having received it by taking sincere actions and not just repeating gospel words without seeking to work on our own person, we add this: we must also show ourselves worthy of it through acts of better quality which attest that we really want to change and not hide behind the pretext of human weakness to persevere in absurdities. Common sense would dictate that when we commit outrageous things we no longer persevere in them after having been forgiven. It is a reprehensible scabrous attitude which denotes a real desire not to want to change oneself. In the Latin phrase: “errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum”, those who recognize themselves on it, know what it is about.
If God forgives because He Himself is Forgiveness, our lack of sincerity or our real desire not to want to change can lead us not to take advantage of this forgiveness which is divine and which should not be taken without a real desire for change which favours extension of worrying activities. This means that if God is always willing to forgive, Men is not always willing to take advantage of this undeserved grace that comes from above. This is why many find themselves incarcerated because they have seriously offended God through the harm they have done to their fellow human beings. And even during this episode of incarceration, the grace of forgiveness is always present to allow the prisoners to start again on new bases after having sincerely meditated on their fate. But even there, there are always some who take these graces as banalities because they are unconscious of the grace they have received or which is offered to them with the aim of giving a new direction to their miserable existence.
