Gospel (Lk 17,1-6) - At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «It is inevitable that scandals will come, but woe to him through whom they come. It is better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be thrown into the sea, than to scandalize one of these little ones. Watch out for yourselves! »If your brother commits a fault, rebuke him; but if he repents, forgive him. And if he commits a sin against you seven times a day and seven times he returns to you saying: "I am sorry", you will forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord: «Increase our faith!». The Lord replied, "If you had faith as much as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and plant yourself in the sea,' and it would obey you."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus asks his disciples: «Be careful of yourselves!». Supervision over oneself, over one's behavior, over one's fidelity to the Gospel, is a primary task for every disciple and even more so for those who have pastoral responsibilities. Jesus adds that willingness to forgive is also part of wisdom. Each of us knows well our own fragility and the ease of falling into sin. Jesus specifically gives us the strength to forgive. The ability to forgive is not spontaneous. Indeed, today forgiveness is truly rare. In ordinary life, unfortunately, revenge is much more frequent. It is urgent that mercy and forgiveness abound over the ease with which sin asserts itself. Forgiving "seven times", as Jesus asks, means that we must always forgive. Obviously it is not a question of being condescending to sin. Jesus always demands repentance for the sin committed and the consequent change of life. But the availability to mercy must never be lacking. Mercy is a sign of God's presence among men. At this point the disciples, understanding that mercy does not arise from themselves, understand that the instinct to remain in hatred or at least indifference is strong in them too. This is why they ask the Lord: "Increase our faith!". Jesus - perhaps surprising us too - responds that even a small measure of faith is enough, that of a mustard seed. This little faith, this little trust in God, is capable of working miracles.