Ecclesiasticus 27:30 – 28:7 / Romans 14:7-9 / Matthew 18:21-35
By and large, we like to be neat, tidy, and clean.
And normally speaking, we don't keep or hold on to rubbish or rotting and rotten stuff.
That is a reflection of who we are, and how we want to live our lives.
And it is also said that cleanliness is next to godliness.
Because cleanliness, or neatness, is seen as an expression of a due reverence to God, who made us in His image.
On the other hand, it is also said that mess causes stress.
Yes, physical mess often directly triggers mental stress.
A messy room is like a list of chores that is not finished, which causes stress and tension in the mind.
In other words, it is like unfinished business all over the place.
Similarly, when unfinished work is piling up, the mind will be stressed.
So, cleanliness is godliness, and mess causes stress.
But besides physical and mental stress, there is also spiritual stress.
The first reading says this: "Resentment and anger, these are foul things, and both are found in the sinner."
When it comes to rubbish, rotting and rotten stuff, we would instinctively get rid of it.
But with resentment and anger, the strange thing is, as the first reading puts it, "Mere creatures of flesh, man cherishes resentment."
Resentment and anger are foul things, and they cause spiritual decay and corruption.
The result is unforgiveness.
Unforgiveness is described as drinking poison and wishing that the other party would die.
Unforgiveness is also described as holding a burning charcoal and thinking that the other party will be hurt.
In the Gospel, Peter asks Jesus if forgiving someone seven times is more than enough.
Jesus replied with an astounding, "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
And then Jesus told a parable about an unforgiving servant.
That servant has just been forgiven for a huge, enormous debt by his master.
Yet, that servant could not forgive a fellow servant for a small debt.
The underlying point of the parable is that the first servant received forgiveness but did not understand that forgiveness flowed from love.
Because love and forgiveness are like two sides of the same coin.
When we love, we will forgive, and in forgiving, we will grow deeper in love.
There is this classic story that comes from an old traditional folktale that was set in ancient China.
A bride by the name of Li Ling married into a household with a strict and demanding mother-in-law named Mrs. Huang.
The mother-in-law criticized Li Ling's every action, causing intense tension and resentment.
Unable to bear the mistreatment any longer, Li Ling went to her uncle, a wise herbalist, and she begged for a discreet poison to end the cause of her suffering, which is her mother-in-law.
The uncle listened carefully and agreed to help, but with strict conditions.
He gave her a mixture of slow-acting herbs, instructing her to mix a small pinch into her mother-in-law's daily tea so that no one will suspect foul play.
To avoid suspicion after the mother-in-law's death, Li Ling was ordered to act respectfully and devotedly, and to obey her mother-in-law willingly and never to argue.
Li Ling followed the instructions strictly. Every morning, she served the tea and treated her mother-in-law with patience, kindness and care.
Seeing Li Ling's transformed behavior, Mrs. Huang's hostility melted away.
She began to love Li Ling like her own daughter and even boasting to neighbours about what a wonderful daughter-in-law she had.
Realizing how much genuine love they now shared, Li Ling was consumed by guilt.
Desperate to save the woman she had grown to love, Li Ling rushed back to her uncle's shop, begging and weeping for an antidote to neutralize the slow poison.
Her uncle smiled gently and told her that no antidote was needed.
The powder he had given her was actually a blend of vitamins and nourishing tonics to improve the elder woman's health.
The only real poison was the anger in Li Ling's heart, which she had successfully cured through kindness and patience.
That story reminds us of that tough teaching of Jesus: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly."
That is forgiveness, and we are reminded in the prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
Yes, God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to love us, forgive us, save us, and to free us from sin, resentment, anger, and unforgiveness.
Let us hear the call of love and to come out of the prison of unforgiveness.
Let us experience the power of forgiveness in the joy of God's love.