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On the Parable of the One Who Owes Ten Thousand Talents and Demands One Hundred Denarii, and That Bearing a Grudge Is Worse Than Any Sin. 1. I am disposed today as one who has returned to you from a long journey; for to those who love, when they cannot be with their beloved, the presence is of no benefit. For this reason, even when we are at home, we are in no better state than those who are away, since in the past time we were unable to converse with you; but forgive us, for the silence was due not to negligence but to weakness. You, then, rejoice now because I have been delivered from my illness; and I rejoice because I have recovered your love. For even when I was ill, what was more grievous to me than the sickness was the inability to partake of this beloved assembly; and now that I have put aside the illness, what has become more desirable to me than health is to be able to revel in your love without hindrance. For fever does not so much burn the bodies of those who are feverish by nature as separation from loved ones burns our souls; and just as those who are feverish seek cups and goblets and cool draughts, so those who long for their beloved seek their faces. Those who are accustomed to love know this well. Come then, since we have put aside the illness, let us again be filled with one another, if indeed it is possible ever to be filled; for the nature of love knows no satiety, but always, when it enjoys the beloved, it is raised to a greater flame. And Paul, the nursling of love, knowing this, said: "Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another." For this alone is a debt that is always paid but never discharged.

Here it is good and praiseworthy to be perpetually in debt. For in the case of money we praise those who owe nothing, but in the case of love we accept and admire those who are perpetually in debt; and what there is a sign of ingratitude, here is a sign of gratitude—that the debt of love is never dissolved. Do not be displeased at the length of what is about to be said; for I wish to teach you a kind of wonderful music, not by handling a lifeless lyre, but by stretching the histories of the Scriptures and the commandments of God as strings. And just as musicians take the fingers of their pupils, gently guide them to the notes, and teach them to pluck with skill, training them to produce a voice sweeter and more delightful than any sound from voiceless notes and strings, so also shall we do, taking your mind instead of fingers, bringing it to the commandments of God, and exhorting your love to touch them with skill, not so that you may raise up a theater of men, but so that you may raise up the assembly of angels through this pleasure. For it is not enough merely to go through the divine oracles, but there is also need of demonstration from works. And just as in the case of the lyre, the craftsman touches the strings, and the unskilled man also touches them, but the one distresses the hearer, while the other charms and delights—yet the same fingers and the same strings, but not the same skill—so also in the case of the divine Scriptures, many go through the divine oracles, but not all gain profit, nor do all reap the benefit.

The reason is that they neither delve deeply into what has been said nor touch the lyre with skill; for what skill is to lyre-playing, that the demonstration through works is to the laws of God. Now, we have already struck one string throughout the entire Lent, reading to you the law concerning oaths, and by the grace of God many mouths of our hearers have been trained in the melody of that law, and having driven away the evil habit, instead of swearing by God, they constantly bear on their lips the words "Yes," "No," and "Believe me" in every conversation; and even if the necessity of countless matters presses them, they would not endure to go further. Since, however, the reception of one commandment is not sufficient for our salvation, come, let us today lead you on to another; for even if not all have fulfilled the former law, yet as time progresses, those who lag behind will catch up with those who have preceded. For I have learned that such is the zeal for this matter that even in households and at table, among men and women, slaves and free, there is a contest concerning this commandment, and I have congratulated those who feast in such a manner. For what could be holier than that table, where drunkenness, gluttony, and all profligacy have been banished, and a marvelous contest has been introduced concerning the observance of the laws of God, and the man watches his wife that she may never fall into the abyss of perjury, and the woman guards her husband, and the greatest penalty lies in store for the transgressor?

ck neither the master being reproved by his slaves, nor does he correct his own household servants in these matters? Would one be mistaken to call such a household a church of God? For where there is such great self-restraint that even in a time of indulgence they are concerned about the divine laws, and all those present strive and contend with one another over this, it is evident that every demon and evil power has been driven away, and Christ is present, rejoicing at the noble rivalry of the servants, bestowing every blessing upon them. For these reasons, then, leaving aside this commandment—for I know that by the grace of God the whole city will be overrun by you, as you take up these warm preludes and a strong beginning—I will move on to another: the disregard of anger. For just as in lyre-playing it is not enough to produce melody from only one string, but one must go through all with the proper rhythm, so too in the virtue of the soul it is not enough for our salvation to have one law, as I said earlier, but we must keep all of them with precision, if indeed we are to produce a melody more pleasant and useful than any harmony. Has your mouth learned not to swear? Has your tongue been trained to say "Yes" and "No" everywhere? Let it also learn to turn away from all abuse, and to bring greater zeal to this commandment, since it requires more effort and labor from us. For in the former case it was only necessary to overcome habit, but in the case of anger a more vigorous zeal is needed; for the passion is tyrannical, and often sweeps away even the sober, and leads them down into the very abyss of destruction.

Bear with me, then, regarding the length of the discourse. For it is absurd that, while we are wounded every day in marketplaces, in homes, by friends, by relatives, by enemies, by neighbors, by servants, by a wife, by a child, by our own thoughts, we do not even once in the whole week take thought for the healing of those wounds, and this despite knowing that this method of healing is both costless and painless. For I do not now hold a scalpel in my hand, but I employ speech instead of a scalpel—speech that is sharper than any scalpel, cutting out all the rottenness of sin, yet causing no pain to the one being cut. I do not have fire in my right hand, but I have teaching more vehement than fire, which does not apply a cautery but checks the spread of evil, and instead of pain, provides great pleasure to the one being freed from evil. There is no need here for time, no need for labors, no need for money; it suffices only to will, and all the achievements of virtue are accomplished for us. And if we consider the authority of the God who commands and legislates, we will receive sufficient teaching and exhortation; for we do not speak from ourselves, but we lead all of you to the lawgiver. Follow, then, and listen to the divine laws. Where, then, did He speak about anger and bearing a grudge? In many places and elsewhere, but especially through that parable which He told to His disciples, beginning somewhat like this: "For this reason the kingdom of heaven was likened to a man who was a king, who wished to settle accounts with his own slaves. And when he began to settle accounts, one debtor was brought before him who owed ten thousand talents.

When he did not have the means to repay, he ordered that he be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all that he possessed, and that the debt be paid. So that slave fell at his feet and besought him, saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.” The master of that slave was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan. Going out, that man found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred denarii, and seizing him, he throttled him, saying, “Repay me what you owe.” So his fellow slave fell at his feet and besought him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.” But he would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should repay what was owed. When his fellow slaves saw this, they were indignant, and coming, they reported it to their master. Then his master summoned him and said, “Wicked slave, I forgave you that entire debt when you besought me; ought you not also to have shown mercy to your fellow slave, as I showed mercy to you?” Then he handed him over to the torturers, until he should repay everything that was owed to him. Thus also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brother from your hearts his transgressions. 3. This is the parable; but it is necessary to say for what reason he set it forth with a cause; for he did not simply say, “The kingdom of heaven was likened,” but, “For this reason the kingdom of heaven was likened.” For what reason, then, is the cause attached?

He was speaking to his disciples about forbearance, and teaching them to restrain their anger, and not to make much account of the wrongs done to us by others, speaking thus: “If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him between yourself and him alone; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” While Christ was saying these and similar things to his disciples, and teaching them to philosophize, Peter, the leader of the choir of apostles, the mouth of the disciples, the pillar of the Church, the foundation of the faith, the foundation of the confession, the fisherman of the world, the one who brought our race up from the depths of error to heaven, everywhere fervent and full of boldness, or rather of love than of boldness, while all were silent, approached the teacher and said: “How many times will my brother sin against me, and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?” He both asks and promises at once, and before he learns, he is ambitious. For knowing clearly the mind of the teacher, that he inclines toward philanthropy, and that he especially gratifies him who most of all passes over the sins of his neighbors and does not examine them bitterly, wishing to please the lawgiver, he says: “Up to seven times?” Then, that you may learn what man is, and what God is, and how his ambition, wherever it may reach, when compared to that one’s abundance, is more worthless than any poverty, and that as a drop is to an infinite sea, so is our goodness to his inexpressible philanthropy, when he said, “Up to seven times?” and thought he was being very ambitious and generous, listen to what he says:

I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Some think it is seven and seventy, but it is not; rather, it is nearly five hundred, for seventy times seven is four hundred and ninety. And do not think the command is difficult, beloved. For if you forgive once, twice, and three times in a day someone who has sinned, even if the one who has grieved you is very hard as stone, even if he is wilder than the demons themselves, he will not be so insensible as to fall into the same things again, but disciplined by the frequency of forgiveness, he will become better and more gentle. And you yourself, if you are prepared to disregard the sins committed against you that many times, having trained yourself by one, two, and three acts of forgiveness, you will no longer have difficulty in such philosophy, having practiced once for all by the frequency of forgiveness not to be struck by the sins of your neighbor. Hearing this, Peter stood aghast, not only concerned for himself, but also for those who would be entrusted to him. So that he might not do the same thing that he did concerning other commandments, he anticipated and cut off every question from him. And what did he do concerning the other commandments? If ever Christ commanded something that seemed to have some difficulty, he would leap ahead of the others and ask and inquire about the commandment.

For when the rich man approached Christ and inquired about eternal life, and having learned the things that produce perfection, he went away grieved by his wealth, Christ having said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven—Peter, although he had stripped himself of everything and no longer even kept his hook, but had scorned both his craft and his little boat, approached and said to Christ: "And who can be saved?" Observe both the disciple's gentleness and his fervor: for he neither said, "You command impossibilities, the injunction is difficult, the law is harsh," nor did he remain silent, but he displayed both his concern for the rest and rendered to the teacher the honor due from a disciple, speaking thus: "And who can be saved?" And though not yet a shepherd, he had the soul of a shepherd, and though not yet entrusted with the office, he preserved the care befitting a ruler, worrying about the whole world. For if he had been rich and clad in much wealth, perhaps someone might have said that he was not caring for the others but for himself, and that he brought this inquiry out of concern for his own affairs; but as it is, his poverty frees him from this suspicion and shows that he was anxious and concerned for the salvation of others, and wished to learn from the teacher the way of salvation. Therefore Christ, encouraging him, says: "What is impossible among men is possible for God.

Do not think, he says, that you will be left deserted; I join you in this endeavor, and I make the impossible become easy and manageable. Again, when Christ was discussing marriage and a wife, and saying that he who dismisses a wife for any reason other than fornication causes her to commit adultery, and urging that every fault of a wife be borne except fornication alone, Peter, while the others were silent, approached and said to Christ: If the relationship of man with woman is like this, it is not advantageous to marry. See here also how he preserved the respect due to a teacher, and cared for the salvation of the rest, not even here being concerned about his own affairs. So that he might not say something of this sort here as well, Christ, by anticipating through the parable, removed his objection beforehand. For this reason the evangelist also said: For this reason the kingdom of heaven was likened to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants, showing that he tells this parable in order that

that even if you forgive your brother seventy times seven times a day for his sins, you have not yet done anything great, but you still fall far short of the Lord's philanthropy, and you do not give as much as you receive. 4. Let us then listen to the parable; for even if it seems clear on the surface, it also contains a hidden treasure of ineffable thoughts. The kingdom of heaven was likened to a human king, who wished to settle accounts with his servants. Do not simply pass over the phrase, but unfold for me that tribunal, and entering into your own conscience, reckon up your deeds throughout your entire life; and when you hear that he settles accounts with his servants, consider both kings and generals, and prefects, and rich and poor, and slaves and free, and everyone; for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Even if you are rich, consider that you will give an account, whether you spent your money on prostitutes or on the poor, whether on parasites and flatterers or on those in need, whether on licentiousness or on philanthropy, whether on luxury and profligacy and drunkenness or on aid to the oppressed. You will be required to give an account not only of your expenditure, but also of your acquisition, whether you gathered it from just labors or from plunder and greed, whether you inherited a paternal estate or destroyed the homes of orphans and plundered the property of widows.

And just as we require from our servants an account not only of their expenditure of money, but also of their income, inquiring from where they received the money, and from whom, and how, and how much; so also God demands from us an accounting not only of our spending, but also of our acquisition. Not only the rich man, but also the poor man gives an account of his poverty: whether he bore poverty nobly and gratefully, whether he did not become disheartened, whether he did not become vexed, whether he did not accuse God's providence, seeing another living in luxury and indulgence while he himself was in need. For just as the rich man is required to give an account of his almsgiving, so the poor man is required to give an account of his endurance; or rather, not only of his endurance, but also of his almsgiving itself, for poverty is no obstacle to almsgiving. And witness is the widow who contributed the two lepta, and outdid those who contributed much by that small contribution. Not only rich and poor, but also rulers and judges are examined with great precision, whether they did not pervert justice, whether they did not give their verdict to those on trial out of favor or out of enmity, whether they did not give their vote contrary to what was proper because they were flattered, whether they did not, bearing a grudge, oppress those who had done no wrong. Not only those who are rulers in the secular sphere, but also those who preside over the Churches will render an account of their own office; and these especially are the ones who undergo the bitter and heavy reckonings to a greater degree.

For the one entrusted with the ministry of the word will be examined there with precision, to see whether through laziness or envy he omitted to say any of the things that ought to be said, and demonstrated through his deeds that he distinguished everything and concealed nothing of what is beneficial. Again, the one who has obtained the office of bishop, the higher he has ascended to a greater eminence, the more he will be required to give an account, not only of teaching and care for the poor, but also of the testing of ordinations and countless other matters. And Paul, making this clear, wrote to Timothy: "Lay hands hastily on no one, and do not share in others' sins." And in the Epistle to the Hebrews, admonishing concerning the same rulers, he frightened them in another way, saying: "Obey your leaders and yield to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will render an account." Then we will give an account not only of deeds but also of words. For just as we, when we entrust money to our servants, require from them an account of everything, so also God, having entrusted words to us, will seek the manner of their expenditure. And we are required and examined with precision, to see whether we have not wasted them idly or in vain; for money simply wasted has not harmed as much as words uttered idly and in vain and to no proper purpose. For money spent in vain has often brought loss in financial matters, but a word simply uttered has overturned entire households, and destroyed and ruined souls; and the loss of money can be repaired again, but a word that has once escaped cannot be recovered again. And that we give account for words, hear what Christ says:

I tell you that every idle word that men speak on earth, they will give an account of on the day of judgment; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. And we give account not only of words, but also of hearings; for instance, if you admit a false accusation spoken against your neighbor. For it says, "Do not admit a vain report." But if those who admit a vain report would not obtain pardon, what defense will those who slander and accuse have? 5. And why do I speak of words and hearing, when we are even held to account for thoughts? And the Apostle Paul himself, indicating this, said: "Therefore do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will also illuminate the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of hearts." And the Psalmist also says, "The thought of a man will confess to you." What is, "The thought of a man will confess to you"? For instance, if you spoke with your brother with deceit and evil intent, if you praised him with your mouth and tongue, but in your mind you maligned and envied him. For Christ again, hinting at this very thing—that we give account not only of deeds but also of thoughts—said: "He who looked at a woman with the desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." And yet the sin did not proceed to action, but is still in the mind; but even so, he who for this reason surveys the beauty of women in order to kindle the desire of fornication cannot remain blameless.

When, therefore, you hear that he settles accounts with his servants, do not pass over the saying lightly, but consider every rank, every age, each sex, both of men and of women; consider what kind of court that will be then, reckon up all your sins. For even if you yourself forget your transgressions, God will never forget, but will set everything before our eyes, unless we anticipate and dissolve them now through repentance and confession, and through never bearing a grudge against our neighbors. And for what purpose does he hold the reckoning? Not because he himself is ignorant—for how could he be, who knows all things before their coming into being?—but in order to persuade you, the servant, that you justly owe whatever you owe; or rather, not only that you may learn, but also that you may wash it away. For he also commanded the prophet to recount the sins of the Jews for this reason: "Speak," he says, "their iniquities to the house of Jacob, and their sins to the house of Israel"—not that they might hear only, but that they might be corrected. And when he began to settle accounts, one debtor of ten thousand talents was brought before him. Consider how much was entrusted to him, that he consumed so much! Great is the mass of the debt; and not only was this the difficulty, but also that he was brought before the master first. For if he had been brought after many others who had shown gratitude, it would not have been so remarkable that the master was not provoked; for the gratitude of those who preceded would have made him more gentle toward those who later showed ingratitude. But to be brought first and to appear ungrateful, and to have become so ungrateful,

to meet with a philanthropic master, this is what is especially wonderful and paradoxical. Men, then, when they find those who owe them, as if they had found prey and game, rejoice in this way, and do everything so as to demand the whole; and if they are unable because of the poverty of the debtors, they pour out the anger over the money onto the wretched body of the miserable ones, torturing and beating them and inflicting countless evils upon it. But God, on the contrary, set everything in motion and contrived how to release him from his debts. For with us, to demand payment is wealth; but with God, to forgive is wealth. We, when we receive what is owed, then become more prosperous; but God, when he forgives transgressions, then especially is rich; for the wealth of God is the salvation of men, as Paul says: "He who is rich to all, and over all who call upon him." But perhaps someone might say: "And how is it that he who wished to remit and forgive the charges ordered him to be sold?" This very thing, indeed, especially shows his philanthropy. But let us not be hasty, but proceed in order to the narration of the parable. "And since he had nothing to pay," it says. What is "since he had nothing to pay"? Again, an intensification of ingratitude; for when it says, "since he had nothing to pay," it says nothing else but that he was destitute of good deeds, and had no good work so as to be reckoned to him for the remission of his sins; for he reckons, he certainly reckons our good deeds to us for the remission of sins, just as faith is reckoned for righteousness.

For the one who does not work but trusts in the one who justifies the impious, his faith is counted as righteousness. And why do I speak of faith and good deeds, when indeed even afflictions are counted for us as a dissolution of sins? And this Christ makes clear through the parable of Lazarus, introducing Abraham saying to the rich man that Lazarus received evils in his life, and for this reason he is comforted here. And Paul also makes it clear, writing to the Corinthians about the one who had committed fornication, and speaking thus: Hand over such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved. And comforting others who had sinned, he spoke thus: For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a good number are asleep. For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged; but being judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned along with the world. But if trial, and disease, and weakness, and destruction of the flesh, which we endure involuntarily, not contriving ourselves, are counted for us as a dissolution of sins, much more so are good deeds, which we pursue willingly and eagerly. But this man was destitute of every good, and had an unbearable burden of sins; for this reason he says: Since he had nothing to repay, he ordered him to be sold; whence it is especially possible to learn the philanthropy of the Master, that he both made the reckoning and ordered him to be sold; for he did both of these things so that he might not be sold. Whence is this clear? From the outcome: for if he had wished him to be sold, who was there to prevent it? who was there to hinder it?

6. For what reason then did he command, not intending to act? In order to increase fear; and he increased fear through the threat, so as to cast him into supplication; and he cast him into supplication, so as to take an occasion for remission. For he could have released him even before the entreaty, but he did not do this, lest he make him worse. He could have granted remission even before the accounting, but so that he, not being ignorant of the magnitude of the sins, might not become more inhuman and harsher toward his neighbors, for this reason he first taught him the size of the debt, and then forgave everything. For if, after the accounting had taken place, the debt had been shown, the threat had been applied, and the sentence he justly deserved to undergo had been made clear, he became so savage and harsh toward his fellow servant; if none of these things had occurred, to what extreme of savagery would he not have slipped? For this reason God did and contrived all these things, beforehand checking that harshness of his. And if he was corrected by none of these, the cause lies not with the teacher, but with that one who did not accept the correction. But let us see how he treats the wound. So falling, it says, at his feet, he besought him, saying: "Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything." And he did not say that he had nothing to repay; but such is the custom of debtors, even if they have nothing to repay, they make promises, so as to be rid of present troubles. Let us hear, those of us who are negligent in prayer, how great is the power of supplications.

This man displayed no fasting, no poverty, no other such thing, but being destitute and stripped of every virtue, because he merely entreated the master, he was able to draw him to mercy. Let us not, therefore, despair in our supplications. For who could be more sinful than this man, who was liable to so many charges and possessed no small or great accomplishment? Yet he did not say to himself: "I am without boldness, I am full of shame, how can I approach? How can I entreat?"—which many of those who sin say, suffering from a diabolical reverence. Are you without boldness? For this reason approach, that you may acquire great boldness. For is the one who is about to reconcile with you a man, that you should be ashamed and blush? He is God, who desires more than you to free you from your charges; you do not desire your own safety as much as he longs for your salvation, and this he taught us through his very deeds. Do you not have boldness? For this reason you will be able to have boldness, because you are so disposed; for the greatest boldness is to think that you do not have boldness, just as the greatest shame is to justify oneself before the Lord. That man is unclean, even if he is holier than all men; just as, then, a man becomes righteous who has persuaded himself that he is the last of all. And witnesses to what has been said are the Pharisee and the publican. Let us not, therefore, despair in our sins, nor give up, but let us approach God, let us fall down, let us entreat, as this man did, using a good intention up to this point.

Not to despair, not to give up, to confess the sins committed, to ask for some reprieve and delay—all these things are good, and signs of a contrite mind and a humbled soul. But what follows from this is no longer like the former things; for all that he had gathered through his supplication, he suddenly poured out entirely through his anger toward his neighbor. But for now, let us come to the manner of the remission; let us see how the master released him, and from what motive he came to this. His master, it says, was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. That one asked for a delay; this one gave remission; so that he received more than he asked. Hence Paul also says: "To the one who is able to do everything beyond what we ask or conceive." For you are not able to conceive as much as he has prepared to give you. Do not, therefore, be ashamed, nor blush; rather, be ashamed of your sins, but do not despair, nor withdraw from prayer, but approach even as a sinner, so that you may reconcile your Master, so that you may allow him to display his own benevolence in the remission of your sins; for if you are afraid to approach, you have hindered his goodness, you have obstructed the abundance of his kindness, at least as far as it concerns you. Let us not, therefore, lose heart, nor grow weary in prayers. For even if we are cast down into the very abyss of evil, he will be able to draw us up quickly from there.

No one has sinned as much as this man; for he has gone through every form of wickedness, and this the ten thousand talents indicate. No one was so destitute as this man; for this is shown by his inability to pay. Yet, the one betrayed from all sides, the power of prayer was strong enough to snatch away. And does prayer have such power, it is said, as to release from punishment and retribution one who has offended the Master through deeds and countless actions? Yes, it has such power, O man. For this alone is not what accomplishes everything, but it has as its greatest ally and helper the love for humanity of the God who receives the prayer, which here worked everything and made the prayer powerful. This, then, hinting at it, he said: The Lord, having compassion on him, released him and forgave him the debt, so that you may learn that along with the prayer, and before the prayer, the Master's compassion accomplished everything. And that man, having gone out, found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii, and seizing him, he choked him, saying, "Pay me back whatever you owe." What could be more abominable than this? Having the benefaction fresh in mind, he forgot the Master's love for humanity.

7. Do you see how great a good it is to remember one's sins? For this man, if he had continually remembered them, would not have become so savage and inhuman. For this reason I constantly say, and will not cease saying, that it is exceedingly useful and necessary for us to remember continually all our transgressions; for nothing can render the soul so philosophical, gentle, and meek as the constant remembrance of sins. For this reason Paul also remembered not only the sins after the bath, but also those before baptism, even though they were once and for all obliterated. And if he remembered the sins before baptism, much more must we remember those after baptism; for by this remembrance we not only dissolve them, but we will also conduct ourselves more gently toward all people, and serve God with greater goodwill, learning of his ineffable philanthropy from the memory of these things. This man did not do this, but having forgotten the magnitude of his debts, he also forgot the benefaction; and having forgotten the benefaction, he became wicked toward his fellow servant, and through his wickedness toward him, he lost everything he had gained from God's philanthropy. For having seized him, he choked him, saying, "Pay me back whatever you owe." He did not say, "Pay me back the hundred denarii," for he was ashamed of the paltry sum of the debt; but, "Pay me back whatever you owe." The other fell at his feet and begged him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything." Through the very words by which that one had obtained forgiveness, this one also sought to be saved.

But he, because of his excessive cruelty, was not softened even by these words, nor did he consider that it was through these words that he himself had been saved. And yet, even if he had granted it, the matter would no longer have been an act of philanthropy, but a debt and an obligation. For if he had done this before the accounting took place, before that verdict was rendered, and before he had enjoyed such a great benefaction, it would have been an act of his own magnanimity. But now, after such a gift and the remission of so many sins, he was, as it were, liable for a necessary debt in the matter of forbearance toward his fellow servant. Yet he did not even do this, nor did he consider how great was the difference between the remission he himself had enjoyed and the one he was about to show toward his fellow servant. For one would see a great difference not only in the quantity of the debts and the rank of the persons, but also in the very manner. For those debts were ten thousand talents, while these were one hundred denarii; and this man had insulted his master, while the one who owed him had insulted his fellow servant. And

This one, having been well treated, was about to show gratitude, but the master, having seen no small or great good done for him by the slave, let everything go. Yet he considered none of these things, but, once and for all blinded by anger, he throttled him and threw him into prison. When his fellow slaves saw this, it says, they were indignant, and even before the master, the fellow slaves pass judgment, so that you may learn the master’s gentleness. When his master heard of it, he summoned him and again enters into judgment with him, and does not simply pronounce the condemnation even then, but first pleads his case. And what does he say? "Wicked slave, I forgave you that entire debt." What could be more generous than this master? When the slave owed him the ten thousand talents, he did not grieve him even with a word, nor call him wicked, but ordered only that he be sold; and this, to free him from his debts. But when he acted wickedly toward his fellow slave, then he becomes angry and provoked, so that you may learn that he more readily forgives offenses against himself than those against one’s neighbor. And he does this not only here, but elsewhere as well. For if you bring your gift, it says, to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, go, first be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Do you see how everywhere he prefers our concerns to his own, and sets nothing higher than peace and love toward one’s neighbor? And again elsewhere: "He who dismisses his wife without reason of adultery causes her to commit adultery." And through Paul he legislated thus:

If a man has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, let him not send her away. For if she commits fornication, it says, cast her out; but if she is an unbeliever, do not cast her out. If she sins against you, it says, cut her off; but if she sins against me, keep her. So also here: when he sinned against him with such great sins, he forgave; but when he sinned against his fellow servant with much lesser and slighter sins than those against the master, he did not let it go, but prosecuted it; and in this case he called him wicked, but in that case he did not even grieve him with a word. For this reason, both here and there, it is added that, being angered, he handed him over to the torturers; but when he demanded from him an account of the ten thousand talents, he added nothing of the sort, so that you may learn that that judgment was not of anger, but of care leading to forgiveness; but this sin especially provoked him. What, then, could be worse than rancor, when it recalls the philanthropy of God that had been put forth, and what the sins were not strong enough to do to him, that anger against his neighbor is strong enough to effect? And yet it is written that the gifts of God are irrevocable.

How then, after the gift had been brought forth, after the philanthropy had advanced, was the vote recalled again? Because of rancor; so that one would not err in declaring this to be more grievous than every sin. For all other sins were able to find forgiveness, but this one not only could not obtain pardon, but also renewed again the others that had been utterly obliterated. Thus rancor is a double evil, because it has no defense before God, and because even if our other sins are forgiven, it recalls them and sets them against us; which indeed it did here. For nothing, nothing does God so hate and abhor as a man who bears a grudge and nurses anger. And this he showed especially from this, and from the prayer itself he commanded us to speak thus: Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Knowing all these things, then, and inscribing this parable in our hearts, when we consider what we have suffered from our fellow servants, let us reckon what we have done to

Master; and by the fear of our own sins we shall be able quickly to thrust away the anger that arises over the offenses of others. For if we must remember sins, we must remember only our own; but if we remember our own, we shall never reckon up those of others; just as, on the other hand, if we forget these, those will easily linger in our thoughts. For this man too, if he had remembered the ten thousand talents, he would not have remembered the hundred denarii; but because he forgot those, for this reason he was harsh to his fellow servant over these, and wishing to exact a little, he not only failed to obtain that, but also drew down upon his own head the bulk of the ten thousand talents. Therefore I would say with confidence that this is more grievous than every sin; or rather, it is not I who say this, but Christ who has declared it through this parable. For if this were not more grievous than ten thousand talents—I mean the unspeakable sins—he would not have revoked those on account of this. Let us therefore be eager for nothing so much as to be pure from anger, and to reconcile those who are displeased with us, knowing that neither prayer, nor almsgiving, nor fasting, nor participation in the mysteries, nor any other such thing, if we hold a grudge, will be able to stand by us on that day; just as, on the other hand, if we overcome this sin, even if we have countless offenses, we shall be able to obtain some forgiveness. And the word is not mine, but that of God himself who is about to judge us then. For just as here he said, "So also will my Father do, if you do not each forgive from your hearts," so also elsewhere he says:

If you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Therefore, so that we may lead a gentle and peaceful life here as well, and there obtain pardon and forgiveness, let us be zealous and take care, however many enemies we have, to reconcile them to ourselves; for in this way we shall also reconcile our Master to ourselves, even if we have sinned ten thousand times, and we shall obtain the good things to come; and may it come to pass that we all be deemed worthy of them, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the might unto the ages of ages. Amen.