This week the theme running from the first reading to the Gospel is unmistakable: forgiveness.
Fr. Justus Pokrzewinski begins with the Book of Sirach: "Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven." Psalm 103 answers with "The Lord is kind and merciful." Then in the Gospel, Peter tries to put a number on it: how about seven times? Jesus' reply, in short: Peter, don't be counting.
The parable that follows gets a vivid retelling here, with a look at just how enormous the first servant's debt really was (a talent was roughly 15 years' wages), what debtors' prison actually looked like in the ancient world, and why the forgiven servant's treatment of a man who owed him pocket change is so shocking. Drawing on his years alongside Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, Fr. Justus calls this Gospel "the best business deal you can ever get": forgive others, and God forgives you, rewards you, and brings you to eternal life.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:01 – Welcome to Know Before You Go
0:16 – Sunday readings usually share a theme
0:25 – This week's theme: forgiveness
0:33 – First reading (Sirach): "Forgive your neighbor's injustice"
1:08 – Psalm 103: The Lord is kind and merciful
1:31 – The Gospel: Peter's question – how about seven times?
2:00 – "Peter, don't be counting" – always forgive
2:21 – Jesus follows his teaching with a parable
2:30 – The king (representing God) settles his accounts
2:40 – A servant with an unpayable debt begs for mercy
3:07 – How big was the debt? A talent = 15 years of wages
3:26 – We would throw a party – but not this guy
3:37 – The forgiven servant throttles a man over a few denarii
4:09 – What debtors' prison was really like
4:27 – The king hears the report: "I forgave you everything"
4:56 – The religious point: we can't pay God back
5:38 – Jesus wants us to have this forgiveness
5:44 – Years at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business
6:10 – "The best business deal you can ever get"
6:41 – "Father, forgive them" – the cross and our forgiveness
7:12 – Preparing for Sunday: Mass and confession
7:22 – No one counts how many times you go to confession
7:35 – Don't count, just forgive
7:39 – Closing blessing
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💬 Is there someone you've been "counting" with instead of forgiving? What would it take to stop keeping score?
📖 First Reading: Sirach 27:30–28:7
📖 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103
📖 Second Reading: Romans 14:7-9
📖 Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35
📅 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, September 13, 2026
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