May the light of Christ fill your hearts!
The Gospel readings this weekend communicate something fundamentally important to our understanding of God’s care for the human race. In the first two stories, there is a search for something of great value that has been lost and when it is found, the owner finds cause for a joy filled celebration. The third story, popularly known as “the prodigal son,” opens a way to an enriched and endearing understanding of God’s love and solicitude for us, his children. One important component included in the story of the prodigal son is carried forward from today’s first reading from Exodus: people seem to get off track very quickly and easily and fall into sin. Some of us know this by our own personal experience or through family or friends who seem to live in a manner that is disconnected from God. One point of the story that I find particularly moving is that while en route on his return, the father sees the son “while he is still a long way off, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” From the first instance of this scene we can deduce that the father watched the horizon for his son every single day. The father never forgot his son. He never stopped hoping, he never stopped loving or longing for his son. At sunrise each day, his first prayer was for his distant son and at the moment of his return all was forgiven. For those of us who are sometimes distressed about people who seem to be distant from God or the Church we find hope and encouragement knowing that God is constantly working silently and secretly in each heart to call each one home. We ourselves may get angry, frustrated or just plain give up on them but God never does. It is truly wonderful to know that God is the one who saves us and it is God who will save them. May the Father of Mercy fill you with joy and peace! +++ Fr. Peter