The last part of this gospel reading is about the prodigal son. We are all familiar with the tale of that young boy, blinded by his sudden riches, living a dissipated life only to find himself at the lowest level of society, abandoned by his apparent friends and left with a penny.
The figure of the prodigal young heir is not new to us, nor to the listeners of Jesus Christ at that time.
But what have struck Jesus listeners, and what strikes us now, is the figure of the father of the prodigal son. That man forgave the son wholeheartedly. He did not even give him a “sermon” or some symbolic punishment. He simply forgave him, and restored him to the same honor as before.
Not too many of us would be capable of reacting in the same way.
A fatherly heart would tend to react that way; we could probably see some sense in the father’s way of acting. But deep inside, we may think that he should also be more “practical” and give that boy a lesson he would never forget.
Here is the novelty of the parable. That father, that benevolent and indulgent father, represents God, with respect to the sinner.
We are all like the prodigal son. We are easily carried away by the wiles of riches or pleasures, to the extent of losing sight of the true value and role of these goods.
As a consequence, we forget where our true dignity and greatness lie—in our condition as children of God. Sin, that turning away from the good God, in favor of the limited and apparent goods of creatures, ends up depriving us of true joys and happiness. Sin ends up enslaving man and dragging him down.
We are fortunate indeed that Jesus Christ has revealed to us that God has a father’s heart. He never turns aside a sinner who is truly repentant.
The prodigal son’s father, for all his readiness to accept his son back, could not do so unless the son himself had realized his foolishness and decided to return home.
No matter how much God would want us to repent, God cannot do the repenting for us. We have to make a move.
That move consists of two things: first, to recognize our guilt; and second, to decide to turn away from it and to turn back to God. After all, we are free creatures.
But yes, the parable of the prodigal son encourages us to do precisely those things, because it shows us how ready God is in accepting us. God is a God of justice, but He is not a God of hatred.
God will require due payment for our actions and their consequences, but not in a cold and merciless way. He is ready to restore our lost dignity to us, and to let us reside once again in our Father’s home.
Those two steps are fulfilled when a person accuses himself in the Sacrament of Penance. And God’s readiness to forgive comes with the priest’s absolution, done in the person and in the power of Christ.