Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Parable of the Prodigal Son, which is proclaimed on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, invites us to a new understanding of the Mercy of God. For God is the Father who is always waiting for the sinner to return. Full of loving mercy and compassion, the Father waits for the day when his son will return. In this season of Lent, let us return to the mercy of God, through fasting, prayer and almsgiving. It is never too late to return to the Lord!
Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son (front cover) captures the encounter between the loving Father and the penitent son. In this portrait Rembrandt seeks to show the loving embrace that awaits everyone who seeks forgiveness. May the Mercy of God prompt us to examine our own conscience and be reconciled with God and with our neighbor.
In Christ,
Fr. Thomas