WE ARE ALL GOD’S BELOVED CHILDREN
I have been the prodigal son. I am sometimes his brother. Through it all, I remain God’s child. He is compassionate, kind, and merciful. I can only say this with conviction as my trust in God’s love for me deepens and as long as I am willing to be honest with myself about the times I have fallen short.
In my early young adulthood, there were times I went looking for love in all the wrong places or chased after things that left a void. While I may have struggled during this time to have a close relationship with God, I turned to Him when I found myself in “dire need” as the prodigal son did. Receiving God’s mercy in spite of my mistakes felt like a miraculous healing. The Good Shepherd tenderly embraced me and welcomed me as lovingly as the father did with his younger son in today’s gospel.
My best friend once wisely shared with me that experiencing these moments of mercy from God helps us to be more compassionate towards others and their mistakes. On my best days, this is true. I am quick not to judge, I seek to understand, I know that what a person says or does isn’t the totality of who they are, and I recognize that they too are God’s beloved. They are my brother. They are my sister. Yet, when a repeat offender gets under my skin and I don’t take a pause to be curious rather than to condemn or when I am overwhelmed and fatigued from doing too much and not pausing to rest and recognize my nearness to God, how quickly I forget the mercy I received and my desire to share it with my brother and sister. When I come to my senses and become aware of my compassion fatigue, unforgiveness, or sense of entitlement- feeling deserving of a “young goat to feast on with my friends” as the prodigal son’s brother, I am often ridden with guilt for the lack of charity in my heart. However, the Lord who “does not persist in his anger forever” forgives me, nudges me lovingly in the right direction, and reminds me that I am still His.
Whether my mistakes were akin to squandering an inheritance or feeling envy or frustration with another, God loved me through it all. Today’s readings speak to us of God’s desire to always be with us and give us everything he has. Let us pray that this Lenten season we may draw near to God and recognize that His love is enough for us.
Do I need to turn to the Lord and ask for forgiveness? Is there a brother or sister in my life whose presence I am being invited to celebrate and rejoice? Can I trust that I am God’s beloved child in every state of my life?
Guadalupe De La O