Counting

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

Throughout the recently completed Olympic Games, we were treated to the daily medal count. Each evening, Bob Costas would report on how the United States was doing in relationship to the other countries of the world. I remember that on one particular evening, he stated that the goal of the Olympic committee was to leave the games with more medals than any other country. At the same time, the number of medals won by the women of Team USA was held up for admiration. They earned more than the men. Michael Phelps was hailed as the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. "If he were a small country himself, he would surpass most of the countries of the world in medal count."

"Counting" is something we humans invariably turn to. We count the number of "A's" on our report cards. Homes in some suburbs are rated by how many cars fit in their garages. In the world of social media, we count the number of those who have "friended" us. Celebrities are ranked according to the number of fans who subscribe to their "tweets." The number of wins and losses is used to rank our sports teams. How much money we have in our bank account stands as a measure of our success. We love to count.

The message of the Gospel today is very simple. When it comes to the virtue of forgiveness, don't count.