Commentary on the Gospel of
Test of Discipleship
Humanly speaking, it is far easier to say, “get lost” than say “I forgive you” to our enemies. If forgiving came that easily, how different our world would have been, and how free of wars and weapons! But it is also evident that for Jesus, forgiveness came so easy that often the words of forgiveness were what flowed from him even at the hardest of times, as on the cross. Thankfully, it is this gift of the “ease of forgiving” that Jesus has offered to every follower as grace and command. The mission entrusted to us is to “preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations” (cf. Lk 24:47). We honor the first martyrs of the Church of Rome: what stands out for Christian martyrs, starting from St. Stephen, is the ease with which they forgive the offenders. Perhaps this is the true test of our Christian discipleship: the ease with which we can forgive those who offend us.
