A reflection on the parable of the man whose debt is forgiven
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00:00 I want to tell you a story from my day serving as editor-in-chief at Magnificat.
00:07 So this Sunday in the Gospel we have the parable of the king who wants to settle all of his
00:11 debts.
00:12 So he has his accountant bring in all the debtors, and one man owes a huge amount, he
00:17 can't pay it.
00:18 And so he's going to be sold with his wife and his children and put into prison.
00:24 And he pleads to the agent of the king, asking for mercy and for compassion.
00:32 And the accountant is so moved that he grants the pardon, and he pardons the entire debt.
00:42 That kind of compassion is what we are all looking for in life.
00:48 So there was a story from some years back about a young man, 21 years old, who was serving
00:54 a 15-year sentence in prison.
00:56 Why?
00:57 Because one night, high on drugs and alcohol, he drove 80 miles an hour on the highway in
01:03 the wrong direction and he killed an 18-year-old woman named Mariana.
01:11 And at his sentencing, the mother of Mariana stood up in court and addressed this man.
01:18 And this is what she said, "As for you, the defendant," and she spoke his name, "I wish
01:25 you hope that when you finish serving the time for this crime, your life will have been
01:34 redeemed.
01:36 It will have been transformed.
01:38 That you will have hope and not despair and live in such a way that Mariana's spirit will
01:46 be honored by the way you live your life."
01:52 That kind of heroic compassion and greatness before such a terrible sin and crime and evil
02:01 is just breathtaking.
02:02 And we learn that it happened, that the man began to be transformed.
02:07 We know it because he was reading Magnificat in prison.
02:13 And how was it that he came to receive it?
02:16 Somebody sent him a gift subscription.
02:18 And who was it?
02:20 It was Mariana's mother.
02:23 That's how deep her belief in compassion was.
02:26 We all want that.
02:28 We've all received that from Jesus Christ and we can give that.
02:32 Let's commit ourselves, our lives, to that kind of compassion so that others can live
02:39 with hope.
02:40 Amen.
02:40 Amen.
02:41 Amen.
02:41 Amen.
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