Mercy You Can Feel

Reflection for September 13, 2026 – Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the wicked servant who failed to forgive the debts of others, despite receiving mercy for his own debt. Find today’s Gospel readings here.

“You qualify for forgiveness,” I heard the woman on the other end of the phone tell me, and I surprised myself by starting to weep.

I had called the hospital system’s financial services department to set up a payment plan on a balance I owed after having some unexpected scans and tests. I was hoping to minimize the dent our family’s savings took — transform one devastating wallop into a series of more easily absorbed blows, so to speak.

Imagine my surprise when I realized the hospital was pulling its punch. If you have ever had a financial debt forgiven, you know the relief that came over me in that moment.

It wasn’t until a little later that the guilt set in. I know so many people who have medical debt. Why was I able to get out of paying, and they were not?

But the cold, hard truth is that I didn’t “get out” of anything. My insurance, for which I pay, had given the hospital enough money to cover the true cost of the procedures. That balance would merely have increased the hospital’s profit.

Make no mistake: capitalism does not forgive.

If you describe the Sacrament of Reconciliation to someone unfamiliar with theology, chances are they’ll think God is a chump. “You get to go in, say you’re sorry, and leave — and everything’s just fine?” someone once asked me in disbelief.

Well, yeah. That’s forgiveness.

Real mercy cannot be budgeted. It must be given recklessly, extravagantly, against all reason. It must cost the giver. It must scandalize any accountant worth his salt. And no one “qualifies.”

If I can’t wrap my head around the idea, it might mean I’m stuck in a for-profit paradigm of justice. It might just mean that I need to engage more in real mercy. Mercy I can feel.

©LPi