Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Raul Caga SVD – Divine Word Seminary Tagaytay
Saturday 2nd Week of Lent
The parable of the prodigal son is sometimes called the parable of the “prodigal father” in the sense that the father in the story is lavish and extravagant in his love and affection for his wayward son. The son’s recklessness is matched and even outdone by the father’s unconditional acceptance and compassion.
The parable is a perfect imagery of how much our Father in heaven loves us that he simply forgets whatever wrongdoing we have committed no matter how grave when we go back to him.
The parable underlines two basic elements in the reality of salvation—a God who loves and forgives unconditionally and the countless people needing his mercy and compassion. The first sets the necessary condition without which the second is not possible. This is best illustrated by another story.
Ernest Hemingway tells a story of a father and his teenage son who had a relationship that had become strained to the point of breaking. The son ran away from home. His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally, in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the newspaper. The ad read: “DEAR PACO, MEET ME IN FRONT OF THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE AT NOON. ALL IS FORGIVEN. I LOVE YOU. YOUR FATHER.” The next day at noon in front of the newspaper office, 800 “Pacos” showed up.
God’s unconditional mercy and forgiveness is the greatest miracle there is in life!
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