Saturday March 2, 2013
Today’s Gospel is a familiar one, the Prodigal Son. How many times have we heard this reading, thought about forgiveness and maybe jealousy, and moved on? We see in the story a father who forgives his son for squandering money, which is easy to grasp. Part of Lent, however, is thinking deeply about God’s forgiveness of our all of our sins, which may be a little more significant than forgiving our spending habits. And the father in the parable only has to say the word, and a party is planned, the son is forgiven. In real life, however, there’s more to the story. Jesus died to forgive our sins. He faced temptation in the desert, a bloody, humiliating journey through Jerusalem, and a painful death on the cross. Although the price of forgiveness was high, the rest of the story is the same. Jesus still forgives us, no strings attached, and feels the great joy of the parable father when we turn to Him.
But we also must remember the dialog between the father and his son. Like us, the son feels unworthy—he does not expect forgiveness. The father forgives his son and the whole household celebrates. Like the father, God forgives us and the company of heaven celebrates when we accept his forgiveness. Jesus paid the price for our sins, but still He forgives us no matter the offense and welcomes us home.
The responsorial psalm for today is a comforting one, “The Lord is kind and merciful.” It challenges us to think about what it means to be kind and merciful, and to think about God’s boundless kindness and mercy, which we know by faith, though we cannot imagine them.
“For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
The Lord is kind and merciful.”
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
The Lord is kind and merciful.”
Laura
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