Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
How does God look at a sinner who comes back to Him in filthy rags, reeking of their sin, downcast, ready for punishment?
Filled with compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
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.
This is our God; this is His reaction to us when we come to confession, when we turn back to Him and away from our sin. Notice when the son has returned the father does not ask why he reeks, why he is dressed so poorly, why he has lost weight, where is the money, what has he done… no questions, only joy that his son is home safe.
When you go to confession, God does not ask questions; He forgives, He embraces. He wipes away the filth of sin to reveal His seal upon your soul, emblazoned there at your baptism, never to be removed even if it is at times obscured: you have always been and will ever be His child. His Son washes your feet, less concerned about where you have been, far more concerned about where you are going. In baptism you are clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27)—the finest of robes!—that garment washed clean in His Blood when you confess your sins. At every Eucharist, when we are in a state of grace and clean of sin, we eat not of a fattened calf but of the Lamb of God: Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.
The story of the Prodigal Son is about how the Father loves us; it is the story of our life with God.