Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive?  As many as seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.  "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.  When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.  So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'  And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.  But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.'  Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'  But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.  When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.  Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?'  And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.  So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Put yourself in this slaves place and meditate deeply on this passage.  Your burden of debt is constantly weighing on your mind because it has grown so much it is beyond your ability to pay it.  Suddenly you are called upon to settle accounts with your lord.  Upon discovering the extent of your debt and your inability to pay, the lord decides to sell off all of your possessions and those of your family and then sell you, your wife and your children to another master.  Devastated, you fall on your knees and beg to have more time to repay.  To your utter astonishment and disbelief, the lord not only grants your request but cancels the entire burden of your debt load.  You are completely forgiven of everything you owe.  Try to imagine the sense of freedom which washes over you.  What had been crushing you is completely lifted off of you and thrown away.  With what kind of gratitude, with what joy, do you leave the lord's presence.  Your entire life and that of your families is given back to you.

Not soon after, you happen upon another slave, one who owes you a small sum.  You seek to add to your freely received wealth by demanding repayment.  The slave asks for your patience and more time.  You, soon forgetting what was freely given to you, now somehow feel as if the relief of your own debt was something owed to you for the kind of person you are.  Apparently there is some special quality about you to make your lord forgive you so much.  It was your lord's intention to raise you up, give you power over others, perhaps even make you a lord.  The person before you suddenly looks small.  He has been a charlatan, thinking he can outwit you, taking you for a fool.  Your newfound sense of exalted dignity surges through you.  You will not be taken for an idiot after a person of such importance treated you as though you were kingly.  Preserving your new good name you lash out against this debtor, crushing him before you.  You must not let the others think you are weak.

Our dear Lord Jesus just demanded of us that we forgive and forgive and forgive again.  He knows this is sometimes difficult for human nature.  So he follows his command with a parable which enlightens our mind with the reality of who we are before him.  Cling to this parable.  It will release you from the prison of being unable to forgive.  This, then, is the secret of forgiveness: constantly keeping in your mind the release of your debt, earned for you by the cross of Christ.  Your forgiven debt is much greater than any debt owed to you.  Think of what was forgiven you rather than the offense committed against you.  Do not demand from others what was not demanded of you.  Do not imagine that you somehow have merited forgiveness by Christ, because you have not, it was freely given.  Further, you have been commanded - not asked - to use your new freedom as the means, power and impetus to go out and forgive others everything, holding nothing in reserve.

Constantly - daily - meditate on how much has been forgiven you.  The sins of others against you will in time seem like trifles, even the most egregious, when we don't look at them but rather our own severe, forgiven debt.