Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
After a few days, the younger son collected all his
belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance
on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine
struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out
to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the
swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many
of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I,
dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to
be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired
workers.”
’So he got up and went back to his father. While he
was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with
compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to
him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve
to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the
finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his
feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us
celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life
again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the
older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the
house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
This boundless love of God is beautifully revealed in the Gospel today through the story of the loving and forgiving father. The father represents God Himself—ever patient, ever merciful, and always ready to welcome us back. The younger son who squandered his inheritance through sinful and reckless living could easily represent any one of us.
At times, we may feel that because of our many sins we have gone too far and are already beyond the reach of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. But the Gospel reminds us that this is never the case. No matter how far we have strayed, the Lord can still reach us. His love continues to search for us, call us, and wait for our return.
God’s love is boundless and all-pervading. It is like the sun that shines upon everyone. The sun does not choose whom to shine upon—it simply gives its light and warmth to all. In the same way, God’s love is offered to each one of us, regardless of who we are or what we have done.
Yet for us to truly experience this infinite and all-pervading love of God, we must first be willing to return to Him. We must be willing to repent of our sins and humbly acknowledge our need for His mercy. Like the younger son, we must recognize that we are sinners who long for the loving embrace of our Father.
Perhaps it is time for us to come home to our forgiving, merciful, and loving God. Perhaps it is time for us to turn away from our sinful ways and from the influences that draw us away from Him. God has never stopped loving us, and His arms remain open, waiting to receive us.
The question now is not whether God is willing to forgive us—the Gospel assures us that He is.
The question is: Are we ready to humble ourselves, return to our Father, and allow His infinite love to transform our lives? —Marino J. Dasmarinas
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