21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Christian love and charity calls upon us to not only forgive others of the wrongs they have done to us, but also to forgive others of monies owed to us in debt. This is not a call to let people use you and abuse you, but a call for mercy. Many times people owe us money which they had all intention of repaying, but unexpected mishaps occur, such as loss of a job, or loss of the family breadwinner, or major illness, that renders the person incapable of repaying their debt. In situations like these we ought to show brotherly love, and not add any more stress to someone who is already under great duress.
When we think of all that Christ has done for us, the things He has given freely to us, why can we not show love and mercy to others who may be worse off than we are? Life is more than about amassing great wealth for ourselves. It is about living a life that is pleasing to God, and living in love with our fellow man. Hey, you don't have to be a rich person to forgive debts. Forgiving debts has nothing to do with how much you have. It is all about how much you are willing to give. Let us show some brotherly love in a practical way, and help out a brother in need.
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