Today’s readings invite us to believe in a loving, patient, merciful, and forgiving God. The Good News Jesus preached was that God is not a cruel, judging, and punishing God. He is our loving and forgiving Father, who wants to save everyone through His Son Jesus. He is always in search of His lost and straying children, as Jesus explains in the three parables of today’s Gospel.
Let us begin every day offering all our actions for God’s glory and praying for the strengthening anointing of the Holy Spirit, that we may obey God’s holy will by doing good and avoiding evil and try to live in God’s presence everywhere. Before we go to bed at night, let us examine our conscience and confess to God our sins and failures of the day, asking for His pardon and forgiveness. Let us resolve to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we have fallen into serious sins. Let us continue to ask for God’s forgiveness before we receive Jesus in Holy Communion during the Holy Mass. Thus, let us live a peaceful life as forgiven prodigal children, by reconciling daily with God our merciful and forgiving Father.
But there is one more, very important thing that many of us easily forget! Our brothers and sisters deserve and expect from us the same compassion, kindness, and forgiveness which we receive from our merciful God. As forgiven prodigals, we must become forgiving people, as Jesus taught us to pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray also for God’s Divine mercy on all of us who have fallen away from God’s grace. Let us open our eyes to see and ears to hear that Jesus is welcoming us back home!
Have a blessed week.
Fr. Tom