FORGIVENESS AND HOPE
FORGIVENESS AND HOPE
Homily for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Commissioning and Closing Mass of the FABC OSC
13 September 2026 | Novaliches Cathedral
Sirach 27:30–28:7; Romans 14:7–9; Matthew 18:21–35
There is one little word in today’s Gospel that people often miss out.
The Gospel begins with a question from Peter. When I ask people, “What exactly did Peter ask Jesus?” they usually say, “Peter asked how many times he had to forgive.” And I say, “I think you missed out something. Go back to the text.” What did you miss? The word “brother”. What Peter actually asks is, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?” (Mt 18:21)
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And that makes a whole lot of difference. When the one you need to forgive is not an OTHER person to you. He’s your brother or sister. There is a bond between you.
In Filipino, we have the beautiful word kapatid. Someone you shared a common attachment with before you got detached at birth. Normally, a kapatid is someone related to us by blood—or someone with who you shared attachment to the same womb.
But Christianity expands our understanding of family and the bonds that unite us.
I remember Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, the emeritus Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga. He used to make people laugh by saying, “Water is thicker than blood.”
People would think he had gotten it wrong. We are more familiar with “Blood is thicker than water”—an expression that means family comes first. Sometimes even to a fault. Perhaps that is also why we have so many political dynasties in our country: politics has become a family business in the Philippines.
But the old archbishop would insist: “Water is thicker than blood.” And by water, he meant the water of baptism. Through baptism, we become part of a much larger family. Saint Paul says we have received the same gift of the Spirit who enables us to cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Rom 8:15)
That is why the prayer Jesus taught us begins with “Our Father.” It establishes a
