"Am I supposed to forgive them 77 times?" On this 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, [Fr. NAME], O.P. reflects on Jesus' famous parable of forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35) through a stained glass window in the Dominican chapel in Denver: the scene of St. Dominic sitting all night with the innkeeper of Toulouse, two adversaries who, face to face, arrived together at who Christ really is.
In a world of screens where face-to-face encounter is increasingly rare, yet anger, fear, and division grow, this reflection asks: how do we forgive people we never actually see? Drawing on Sirach's warning that wrath and anger are hateful things, Fr. Luke Barder invites us to rediscover the healing power of encounter, because on the other side of the screen is a person as lovable as you are.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 – Welcome to A Word of Hope – September 13, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
0:09 – The stained glass window in the Denver chapel
0:17 – St. Dominic and the innkeeper: adversaries talking through the night
0:37 – Truth, love, and humanity – arriving together at who Christ is
0:54 – Peter's question: how many times should we forgive?
1:02 – "Go to your brother" – forgive 77 times
1:14 – In Jesus' time, you met your neighbor face to face
1:25 – The unique dynamics of face-to-face encounter
1:45 – Screens and the growing rarity of face-to-face
1:55 – Increasingly angry, fearful, and divided
2:15 – Isolation nourishes wrath and anger – Sirach's warning
2:41 – When vengeance becomes easy
2:55 – Encounter creates the healing we need
3:11 – Forgiving those we've judged before ever meeting them
3:30 – "Am I supposed to forgive them 77 times?"
3:35 – A new challenge the Holy Spirit can enliven in our hearts
3:41 – Strive to see one another face to face
3:48 – On the other side of you is a person as lovable as you are
4:00 – Praising Jesus who crosses every barrier and divide
4:12 – Closing blessing
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💬 Is there someone you've grown angry with through a screen but never met face to face? What would change if you could sit across the table from them? Share your thoughts in the comments.
📖 Today's Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35
📖 First Reading: Sirach 27:30–28:7
📖 Second Reading: Romans 14:7-9
📅 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 13, 2026
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