Saturday of the Second Week of Lent

MI 7:14-15, 18-20/LK 15:1-3, 11-32

Praise God! Those are the words that come to mind when reading today’s scripture. Praise God for He is merciful, and He loves us more than we could ever imagine. God is Love. 

It makes me think about my oldest daughter, a Tommie grad I might say, when she was very young. She would ask me: “Daddy, how much do you love me?” I would extend my arms wide open as far as I could and say: “Honey, I love you THIS much!” She would just smile. That’s kind of how it is with God. We do this, that, and the other thing, and still, He loves us THIS much! 

The story of the prodigal son is a great example. It gives me great hope. It is not a permission slip to sin, or to reject the love of our Heavenly or earthly fathers. Rather, it gives us hope in God’s infinite mercy. 

A wise priest once suggested we read the story of the prodigal son, several times over, and each time, to place yourself in the shoes of one of the various characters: What would you be thinking if you were them? How do you see things from their perspective? Each can teach us something. 

God never wastes a single word in scripture, nor a single action. I’m no scripture scholar, but I’ve heard that if you consider what scripture says about Jesus’ burial cloth in the tomb, that it was folded, meaning: “I’m coming back”. Look it up. What seems like an inconsequential detail, isn’t. Knowing history, studying scripture, reveals something great. Commit this Lent to learning a bit about the times the scriptures you read were written in. I’m sure you’ll find hope in God’s infinite love and mercy. Praise God!

 

Tizoc Rosales
Director of Advancement, The Seminaries of St. Paul