UNFAILING MERCY, PARDON AND GRACE
Our heavenly Father loves all His children and welcomes us with open
arms.
In today's Gospel
reading from Luke, we hear the scribes and the Pharisees complaining about
Jesus' reception of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus told the parable that I
am sure we are all familiar with, the parable of the Prodigal Son. Through this
parable, Jesus shows that He is doing His Father's Will in seeking out those
who are lost and bringing them back to God. The scribes and the Pharisees, had
they been truly following the way of God, would be very happy and excited to
see sinners being led to repentance.
When we reflect
upon this parable, where do you and I fit into the story? We probably do not
completely match either son, but we are a little bit like both of them at one
time are another. We certainly should realize that we are not perfect and that
we are sinners throughout our journey. During this season of Lent, we are
called to look in-depth at our own lives, at the things that hurt others and
ourselves. We also need to evaluate our relationship with God, our family, and
our friends, even those we call our enemies, which can be the biggest
challenge.
The Church calls us
to repentance during this holy season. Whichever son we may resemble at the
moment, at all times, let us remember that our heavenly Father loves all His
children and welcomes us with open arms. We prayed for this in our Responsorial
Psalm: "The Lord is kind and merciful. As far as the east is from the
west, so far has He put our transgressions from us" (Ps 103:8a, 12).