The readings this weekend seem like déjà vu all over again! Sins abound, but where is the repentance? Sins are felt, but where is mercy and forgiveness?

Every sin reflects a broken relationship. With every sin, we also have two sides, or perspectives. First there is the sinner, the perpetrator, the one we might choose to be angry with, or disappointed in because of “… their failure…”5

The second perspective is that of the one who is hurt; every sin breaks some part of a relationship.  Throughout our Church history, the adage has been repeated frequently: “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”

Yes, love the sinner. Since we are all sinners, we should actually root for this love to be shown to us. We hurt relationships with others when we sin, not least of which is our relationship with God! Our sin doesn’t diminish God in any way, since we have no power over God. It does, however, diminish our own lives. With each sin, each broken relationship, we struggle to avoid that sin again.

When we consider the exchange between Saint Peter and Jesus in this weekend’s Gospel, we need the context. Rabbis at that time would teach that you were only required by God to forgive a sin three times, as found in the Book of the Prophet Amos.  Jesus’ answer, however, is radically different: “seventy times seven!” In other words, endless mercy and forgiveness is found in an authentic relationship with God.

There are two versions of this conversation, one that reflects “seventy-seven” and the other “seventy times seven.” Both reflect with certainty a number large enough that our forgiveness must not be limited to a count.  Saint Augustine confirmed this in a sermon: “I am bold to say, that if he shall sin seventy-eight times, you should forgive him; yes, and if a hundred; and how often soever he sins against you, forgive him. For if Christ found a thousand sins, yet forgave them all, do not you withdraw your forgiveness.”

I would suggest this is one of those cases where the simplest way to follow Jesus’ teaching is the easiest: stop counting sins. Sure, we hate or dislike all sin, but we must always love the sinner. We are those sinners, perfectly loved by Jesus!