Proper 19 A

Matthew 18: 21-35

Whenever I make a visit to New York, I tr to atten! a
servi"e at #t$ Pa%&'s (hape& in &ower Manhattan$ )or those o* o% who have never
seen it, it's a+o%t ha&* the si,e o* this +%i&!in- an! is "onne"te! with .rinit
(h%r"h, Wa&& #treet, whi"h is a+o%t /ve +&o"ks awa$ 0%t #t$ Pa%&'s (hape& has
o""%pie! a h%-e p&a"e in o%r nationa& memor *or the past thirteen ears$ In the
imme!iate a*termath o* the 9111 atta"ks, it serve! as a p&a"e where /re/-hters,
po&i"emen an! res"%e workers went to -et some respite *rom the heat an! the
*%mes, to -et somethin- to !rink an! to pra$ .hat it even stan!s is provi!entia&: a
*a&&in- +eam *rom one o* the towers sp&it a tree in *ront o* it +%t &e*t the +%i&!in-
inta"t$ .he insi!e o* the san"t%ar is a movin- p&a"e in!ee!$ It is, in part, a
m%se%m, the on& one *rom that !a %nti& the "%rrent m%se%m was +%i&t, the wa&&s
&ine! with +oots, "&othin- an! %n"o%nta+&e notes o* en"o%ra-ement to those who
were there on that !a an! in the !as a*terwar!$ 0%t the servi"es insi!e are
a+o%t somethin- e&se$ .he are *o"%se! on the *%t%re, on the re"on"i&iation that
2o! promises to a&& 2o!'s peop&e$ Wa&kin- insi!e, the *ee&in- is %nmistaka+&e that
the p&a"e is roote! in a sin-&e moment in histor +%t that its vision is pro3e"te!
*orwar!, towar! a time when the vastness o* 2o!'s re"on"i&in- work in the wor&!
wi&& over"ome the enmities we have n%rse! *or the past thirteen ears, or a
h%n!re! ears, or an o* the time that we have +een on the p&anet$
It is a&so provi!entia& that we sho%&! have the para+&e
we have to!a, +e"a%se it too is roote! in the %-& spe"i/"s o* a !e+t an! -ives
%s a &ook at what the !ivine response is$ .he stor itse&* is in response to a
4%estion a+o%t how o*ten we sho%&! +e prepare! to *or-ive an! the answer o*
5es%s, sevent times seven, o6ers an i!ea o* the !ivine "apa"it *or *or-iveness$
.he s&ave who owes his owner ten tho%san! ta&ents, a *antasti" s%m, -reater than
the treas%ries o* most "o%ntries, "&ear& "annot pa, an! so his own "hi&!ren, his
wi*e, a&& he knows, are to +e so&! o6$ 0%t he makes the o%tra-eo%s promise, 78ave
patien"e with me, an! I wi&& pa o% everthin-9$ I* we &isten har! eno%-h, we "an
hear a pa%se an! the patien"e whi"h a&&ows the master to *or-ive the !e+t$ )rom
that point on, the stor "o%&! not +e more *ami&iar$ Another s&ave who asks *or the
same patien"e is treate! +r%ta&& + this s&ave: he is "on*ronte! + the master,
who %ses the opport%nit to 3%!-e him + his own stan!ar!s$
As it happens, the /na& two verses were an a!!ition to
Matthew's -ospe&$ 5es%s' stor a"t%a&& en!s with the master' 4%estion, whi"h
han-s in the air *or a&& o* %s: 7#ho%&! o% not have ha! mer" on o%r *e&&ow
s&ave, as I ha! mer" on o%:9 It is a 4%estion we a&& have to answer-- sho%&! o%
not have ha! mer"$$$ )or man o* %s it is too m%"h, +e"a%se we ma *ee& we !o
not have the &%;%r o* mer" or patien"e: too m%"h has happene! in the
s%""ee!in- ears an! the wo%n!s are sti&& too raw$ 0%t o%r "har-e is to ho&! two
tho%-hts at on"e, the memor o* the event an! the para+&es o* 5es%s, whi"h are
a&was *o"%se! on the *%t%re$ It isn't eno%-h to think in a kin! o* risk1+ene/t
ana&sis$ We have to e"ho the patien"e o* 2o!, an! 2o!'s wi&& *or a&& his peop&e is
+o%n! %p with *or-iveness an! re"on"i&iation$
<esmon! .%t%, the internationa& apost&e o* *or-iveness,
o6ere! a tho%-ht in the weeks *o&&owin- the atta"ks$
In *or-ivin-, peop&e are not +ein- aske! to *or-et, =n the "ontrar, it is important
to remem+er, so that we sho%&! not &et s%"h atro"ities happen a-ain$ )or-iveness
!oes not mean "on!onin- what has +een !one$ It means takin- what happene!
serio%s&$$$ !rawin- o%t the stin- in the memor that threatens o%r entire
e;isten"e$
Man o* %s sti&& har+or that stin- in the memor$ I'm s%re
everone remem+ers where the were that mornin-: I remem+er the tho%-hts I
ha! a+o%t those I &ove!, *or m !a%-hter, who I ha! 3%st !roppe! o6 at pre-s"hoo&$
I remem+er that one o* m man tho%-hts that mornin-, +esi!es o%tra-e an!
pro*o%n! -rie*, was the know&e!-e that it wo%&! take a &on- time to make sense
o%t o* what ha! happene!, an! so I prae! *or everone I "o%&! think o* who was
a6e"te! + the &oss$ In the weeks that *o&&owe!, I prae! *or a pa%se, *or the time
that it wo%&! take *or a&& o* %s to tr to take in what we *e&t that !a$ I prae! that
we wo%&! have patien"e eno%-h to +e-in to remove the stin- o* what we a&& *e&t
that mornin-, the pain o* in3%r an! o%tra-e, so that we "o%&! +e-in to +e o%r +est
se&ves, even in the mi!!&e o* "ir"%mstan"es that were o%tra-eo%s$ I *e&t that i* I
"o%&! ho&! m o%tra-e to-ether with an i!ea o* what 2o!'s patien"e with %s a&&
mi-ht &ook &ike, I wo%&! have an i!ea o* how to -et thro%-h the "omin- weeks an!
months, ma+e even "han-e m i!ea o* what *or-iveness is$
I* we nee! -%i!an"e, there is a stor a+o%t the +om+in- o*
(oventr (athe!ra& in >n-&an! at the +e-innin- o* the #e"on! Wor&! War$ .he
entire me!ieva& town o* (oventr was !estroe! + in"en!iar +om+s !roppe! on
the ni-ht o* Novem+er 1?, 19?@, in"&%!in- its e&eventh-"ent%r "athe!ra&$ .he
mornin- a*ter the !estr%"tion, the +%i&!in-'s stonemason *o%n! two +eams that
ha! *a&&en in the shape o* a "rossA he p&a"e! them on a makeshi*t a&tar in the
r%++&e with the wor!s, 7)ather *or-ive9 written +esi!e it$ .hree o* the me!ieva&
nai&s on the -ro%n! were *ashione! into a "ross whi"h +e"ame the inspiration *or
the (omm%nit (ross o* Nai&s, an or-ani,ation !e!i"ate! to the work o* hope an!
re"on"i&iation in the wor&!$ .he re+%i&!in- o* the (athe!ra& took a&most a !e"a!e,
an! it happene! on -ro%n! ne;t to the she&& o* the !estroe! +%i&!in-: even
to!a the two sti&& stan! to-ether, si!e-+-si!e, the past an! the *%t%re$ .he work
itse&*, the makin- o* a p&a"e !e!i"ate! to *or-iveness an! re"on"i&iation, was
a+o%t peop&e !e!i"atin- themse&ves to patien"e, the patien"e in whi"h we a&&ow
hope to -row$
Years &ater, a pie"e + 0en3amin 0ritten was premiere! at the
!e!i"ation o* the (athe!ra&, his War Be4%iem$ It +e-ins with a ver 4%iet tritone in
the "hor%s, a !issonan"e that has to +e reso&ve!, +%t 0ritten !oesn't reso&ve it$ 8e
en!s the pie"e with the i!enti"a& interva& an! in !oin- so, he appears to +e askin-
a 4%estion: are we "apa+&e o* rea& *or-iveness, o* &ettin- the +est parts o*
o%rse&ves over"ome the an-er an! ven-e*%&ness that are o%r /rst imp%&ses$ <oes
hope have a "han"e in a wor&! where the imp%&se *or 4%i"k response tr%mps the
nee! *or pa%se, reCe"tion an!, %&timate&, a+so&%tion:
.he *a"t is that the rea& "%rren" o* the para+&e is not ta&ents
or !enarii +%t hope$ 8ope !oes not mean that we have to *or-et-- not man o* %s
wi&& +e a+&e to !o that anwa$ What it !oes mean is that, in a wor&! %tter&
!i6erent *rom the one we knew on& a *ew ears a-o, we have the opport%nit to
!o the work o* those who re+%i&t (oventr a*ter the war, those who are sti&& re-
+%i&!in- their &ives ea"h !a, whi"h is the work o* 2o! an! "an on& +e !one +ri"k
+ +ri"k$ With everthin- we have o+serve! *rom that !a to this one, we have to
+e a+&e to see it with the view o* a 2o! who !oes not -ive %p on %s, who has
-iven %s an opport%nit to +e patient, we an! those who wish %s harm$ .o *or-ive,
to *or--ive, means to -ive the other the *%t%re$ >ver !a sin"e that !a, even the
har!est !as, have +een a+o%t the *%t%re$ =%r hope is in a 2o! who sees that
*%t%re even when we "annot an! o6ers %s the patien"e to "reate, o%t o* the
r%++&e, a +etter wor&! than we "o%&! have !reame! possi+&e$