Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Have you ever had a debt hanging over your head—not just financial, but something unresolved in a relationship? A word you regret, a wound left open, forgiveness never offered?

Jesus says something today that hits hard: “Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” He’s not talking about money. He’s talking about the cost of a heart unreconciled. He’s saying that the grudges we carry, the anger we nurse, the silent walls we build—these are debts that chain us up. And they don’t just weigh on others—they weigh on us.

St. Paul reminds us that we are meant to live in the freedom and light of Christ. He writes, “We do not lose heart.” Why? Because God has “shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God.” That light is meant to expose the shadows we’d rather avoid—especially the ways we withhold mercy or keep distance instead of peace.

Jesus isn’t raising the bar to make things harder. He’s showing us the deeper way—the freedom of a reconciled life. A life not ruled by grudges, but by grace. A heart not enslaved by pride, but healed by humility.

So today, is there a “last penny” you still owe? A word you need to speak, a hand you need to extend? Don’t wait. Forgiveness is not a favor we offer—it’s the freedom Christ gives. Pay that last penny. Let go. Be free.

Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB