Our God is all loving.

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Amen, Amen – God is merciful and forgiving. Our God is all loving. We have a God “Who does not persist in anger but delights in clemency.” (Micah 7:18) What a beautiful message of hope for all us sinners, to know that God will vanquish our sins. The Gospel reading (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) today is about the Prodigal Son. The Gospel reading begins, “Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus.” Who is it that Christ seeks, those that are in most need of his mercy. Yet the Pharisees were complaining about who Jesus gathered with. Jesus tells the Pharisees two parables to illustrate Jesus' particular concern for the lost in the Story of the lost sheep and God's love for the repentant sinner in the story of the Prodigal son. How much are we like the Prodigal Son. We become greedy and want what is ours. We ignore our father and squander our gifts and treasures. When his son “had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.” He had to work for a pig farm – this is about as big a disgrace as could be bestowed upon a Jewish Man – to work in an unclean place. So people might suggest that this was his punishment for his ill behavior. I think it represents the depression and sadness we feel when we realize we have injured our relationship with God. God does not punish us, we punish ourselves. We have a merciful and forgiving God; we have a loving God. When the son realizes his mistake, he contemplates returning to his father. He gets up and goes to his father and says 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." What does his father do? He welcomes him back into his house – “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.” When we let sin, greed and evil dictate our lives, we die to the Holy Spirit. But when we repent to the Father and acknowledge our sins, Our Father rewards us with the glory of his Grace. During the period of his absence, what did the Father do? Did he abandon hope? Did he give up on his son? Did his father write him off as a lost asset? No, he waited for him, looking for his return and “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.” He never stopped waiting, he never stopped looking for his return. His Father longed for his retrun. No matter how bad the sin we commit, no matter how horrible the life we fall into, we can always return to God. His arms are always open and always welcoming. During Lent, we are called find that path to Christ, to rededicate our lives to Christ. We are called to transform our sinful ways. “Our Lord is kind and merciful.” Reconciliation is important to our salvation. There is a Reconciliation Service on March 20th. Please plan on attending this service. Christ will be present with his arms open ready to hug you and forgive you. He will embrace you and kiss you with the Grace of salvation. A Simple Prayer Lord, we have sinned against you, We have squandered the gifts you have given us, We no longer deserve to be called your son. Please have mercy on our souls and forgive us of our sins. Yours in Christ Michael Marcon