The Gospel for today is from Luke 15. As I prepare this reflection, I sit with great awe and gratitude at the Lord’s Providence. Through my full-time ministry work, I get to facilitate a Catholic student leadership group using the program Evangelical Catholic. We are around week five of the program, titled “The Ninety-Nine and the One.” I got to spend several days reflecting on Luke 15 with young students. This parable has a great impact and contains so many insights for us to reflect on time and time again (especially in Lent when our disciplines become challenging and testing of our worth).
Character of the Father
What a great acknowledgement that the prodigal son is found, with deep love, within the father! This parable teaches us about the character of the Father. How vast the Father’s Love is despite the circumstances of the world, the division, and actions of our very own lives. He remains constant and mysteriously, we are worthy of all His Love and time. Through the gifts of the sacraments and faith, we have a share of Christ in our soul and being. What a privilege it is to have the opportunity to be God’s love in the world.
He is waiting on the throne of Heaven to clothe His children with the finest robe, jewels, and a feast just as the father of the wandering son. What people can you consider in your life that are missing this kind of relationship, awe, and security found in Our Lord Jesus Christ? Who needs reassurance of their worth? The father in the parable hastened and met the son in his distress. God is eager for souls, and we can have that grace and ambition too. Has there been a time in which Jesus has run after you and found you? I invite you to reflect on some of these questions and pick someone in your life who you can attentively and intentionally get to know more and share this message of love and hope with.
