Many biblical scholars believe that the parable of the prodigal son should be titled the prodigal father who lavishes his love, mercy, kindness and tenderness more on the wayward son.
This reminds us of God’s abundant, lavish love and unfathomable mercy towards us sinners.
God’s patience and mercy are all we need to live a grace-filled life in Christ Jesus. God doesn’t punish us for our sins but there are consequences for every action or decision we make or take in life. Hence, the tragedies that befall us are not God’s punishment. They are warning signs for God’s abundant time to repent and adjust our lifestyles
According to Pope Puis XII, one of the greatest tragedies of modern man and woman is the loss of the sense of sin. Sin or moral evil is today widely dismissed as merely a religious notion. The notion of sin and its consequences are being watered down in the name that Christianity is not only guilt-lading. The mathematic simply removes sin from Christianity and it becomes a social organization of ethics of relative right and wrong.
Christ is the visible face of the Divine Mercy of God. The most evidential proof is that God is not a moralist legalist or sadist bent on eternal punishment for sinners. It is the unfathomable mercy and grace at work in us even in our sinful state. “Where sin abounds, grace (or mercy) abounds much more.” Romans 5:20
The Christian life is full of an amazing and rejoicing grace in God when our souls meet with true repentance of sins and embrace the unfathomable mercy of God. No one is a Christian because he or she merits being one. It is all grace and nothing but grace. This is the most humble fact we must be conscious of daily.
What makes Christianity unique from all other religions is the inexhaustible mercy of God in Christ Jesus. The Christian faith is never a religion of punishment. No matter the gravity of our errors, how many times and the manner of our mistakes, the mercy of God reaches all. In Christianity, therefore, Christ is the face of God’s mercy shown to lost humanity.
The Divine Mercy is the unfathomable grace of God! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the Risen Christ and offers to humanity. The devotion to Divine Mercy Sunday grew rapidly after its designation by Pope Saint John Paul II.
The principal or central theme of this fifth Sunday of Lent is that there is empowerment through the grace and mercy of God in our sinfulness. God is never interested in the death or punishment of anyone of us due to sin. His grace and mercy always meet us in our state or moment of wretchedness.
Truly, Lenten season is not only a moment of prayer, penance and charity, but also a time of repentance, reconciliation and renewal of our relationship with God and our brothers and sisters. It is a time to take full advantage of the grace and mercy of God made available to us through Christ Jesus.
FORGIVENESS SETS US FREE FROM BEING PRISONER OF THE OFFENDER AS WELL AS PRISONERS OF UNHAPPINESS. IT IS NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS BUT STRENGTH TO FORGIVE.