The Love and Compassionate Mercy of the Father

09-11-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Anthony Okolo, C.S.Sp, V.F.

Today’s Gospel’s passage is one of those passages in the Bible we have heard many times however, at each time we read it afresh, it resonates new insights about God’s mercy and love. God’s compassion is unlimited; He wants to embrace us always with this love.

Nevertheless, one central message the passage presents is God’s compassionate love which does not dwell in the past. It tells a story of love of the merciful father to his prodigal son who returns in humility to the father. The father is ready to embrace all those who are lost and return to him. In this way, our Father in heaven is constantly moved with great compassion each time we return to Him in humility of heart. We should never get tired of going back to the Father when we lose our way.

One other insight I get from today’s passage is the statement of the evangelist Luke, “Coming to his senses he thought to himself I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” We need to ask the grace of God to be able to come to our senses to recognize our lost path and get back to our root. There is great need to recognize when we have lost our way in life. It is very certain that if we do not come to our senses, we would never make our way to the Father. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us an image of our Father who is also prodigal- a spendthrift with His love for each of us, His unadorned and vulnerable children.

Fr. Tony Okolo C.S.Sp., V.F.