Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the  Gospel of Sunday, September 13, 2026,  entitled, “Seventy times seven”.

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Today’s Word  speaks to us of forgiveness , especially within the Christian community: it must be unlimited:  Lord,  if my brother sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus answers: I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

If it is true that  you have experienced the Father’s mercy with you , you will not be able to go around calculating the limits of forgiveness and welcoming your brother.

As you experience God’s free forgiveness,  you will begin to forgive others from the heart, because you will be able to see them as God sees them : God also loves your sinful brother and does not reject him for his sins, just as he does not reject you for yours.

Because  that is the experience of one who lives by faith . As we have sung in the Psalm:  The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love… He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases… He fills you with grace and tenderness.

Forgiving  does not mean  minimizing a sin committed against us or “burying” it.

Forgiveness   means  that I acknowledge having been offended, but  I choose to place this offense in God’s hands so that He may be the judge, and I  ask, for myself and for my brother, for a new heart. I choose to relinquish my right to hold this in my heart against the other person.

Forgiveness  is  not  a denial  of evil, but  a  participation  (not a mere imitation)  in God’s saving and transforming love  that reconciles and heals.

Forgiveness   does not mean submitting  to a situation of danger or injustice. It is not incompatible with the  right  to defend oneself or the  duty  to protect the innocent.

Only the Holy Spirit can make us have the same feelings that Christ Jesus had . Thus, the unity of forgiveness becomes possible, “forgiving one another ‘as’ God forgave us in Christ” (cf.  Eph  4:32).

It is not in our power to no longer feel the offense and forget it; but  the heart that is offered to the Holy Spirit changes the  wound  into  compassion  and purifies the memory by transforming the  offense  into  intercession  (cf.  Catechism  2842s).

We must learn to see forgiveness , a powerful medicine against evil that heals our inner wounds,  as something that is part of a process,  a journey… Above all, we must invoke forgiveness from the Lord; continue asking—perhaps throughout our lives—that the Lord expand the space of love within us precisely where we have been hurt, that He help us to reconcile with ourselves and with that part of our history marked by suffering, that He slowly transform resentment into mercy and compassion.

It is a long road, a process that requires much patience, a work we must do with ourselves, both personally and through other paths of accompaniment and inner reconciliation. And it is necessary not to become discouraged:  forgiveness is achieved through small steps . Reconciliation with history is gradual, and above all,  we must not think that forgiveness always and in every case means returning to the previous situation or having a full relationship with those who have hurt us, especially when the act has also been marked by violence. We can remain open to the person, reject all forms of hatred or revenge, strive to repair the relationship as much as possible, and perhaps pray for him or her. (cf. Leo XIV, Barcelona 2026).

Come Holy Spirit!  (cf. _ Lk_  11, 13).