Gospel: Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
At two points in the story of the Prodigal son we are challenged in our own thoughts and attitudes. In the first instance, we see the younger son want his father dead, then waste all the riches and talents given to him. We are repulsed by his actions, and we find the mercy of the father too much - this man who not only welcomes his son home and throws him a lavish party, but also went out in search of him!
But if we find that mercy one we can accept, we might find the second act of mercy hard to witness. Here, we find the self-righteous, judgmental older son an unsympathetic figure to us. We find him hard to accept, and we might well find ourselves wishing the father cast him out of the house. And yet, the father says to him - you are in my house always! This mercy might seem too much for us.
Today, this story of the two sons challenges us in our attitudes of mercy. We too are called to adopt this mercy of the father both toward the wayward son and his sins that cause us to blush, and we are called to adopt this mercy to the self-righteous son whose sins of not showing mercy we must forgive as well. Consider too that God has forgiven both within our own selves, and so we too must find it within ourselves to do so in others.
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