The Immensity of God's Heart

A young man of seventeen secretly left his home to work in the big city. He was tired of his parents’ authority. Freedom was all he ever wanted; to make decisions on his own, free from parental restrictions. He took offense that they were not willing to support the college course he wanted to enroll. So he left to find a job and live the way he wanted. Upon learning that he was gone, his father searched for him. After several months, he found him in his workplace. The father surprised the son by his presence and pleaded for his return. He was even willing to break the family rule just for him to come back. And the son did!

The story of the prodigal son is one of the best and the most endearing of Jesus’ parables. It reveals so much about every man or woman’s desire for uncontrolled freedom. Each of us has this longing to control everything about our life. Just to do what we want without rule or restriction. But it also gives us a hopeful insight of God’s enduring quality: He never gives up on us, no matter what. He is willing to move heaven and earth to lead us back, to bring us home. God fully knows that there can never be real fulfillment and joy away from home.

From this parable we realize that we have a much better inheritance than “earthly treasures” that does not run out. We do not fully understand what eternal life means. We have no idea that this is to be preferred thousand times over than what we can have in this life. That is why Jesus had to come and reveal our real inheritance; moreover, he came to tell us the greatness of God’s heart. The Greek word salvation or “soteria” includes wholeness, completeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, prosperity, rest, harmony and perfect satisfaction.

The prodigal son reminds us that when we try to find happiness and contentment in the world, we will always be disappointed. The things in the world are not life-giving and will always leave us empty. Its joys are short-lived and transitory. The true joy that never fades is found at home. The loving embrace of the Father is something worth running back. His love is the source of our wealth, our dignity and peace.

God's Unending Patience

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who laid the groundwork for Western systems of logic and philosophy. Little is known about his life except what was recorded by his students, among them Plato. Though he was a fearless soldier, he was more known for his interest in the intellectual development of Athens’ youth. He attempted to establish an ethical system based on human reason and taught that the ultimate wisdom comes from knowing oneself. During Greece’s political turmoil, he was sentenced to death in a trial where he must have said: “the un-examined life is not worth living.”

Lent is a season that invites us to self-introspection. It is an interior process characterized by sincerity in order to recognize who we are and what our priorities are. By looking deep into ourselves we examine whether we have been fruitful or not. Such process of self-examination invites us to repentance. Metanoia is the Greek word for repentance. It implies not just regret of the past but a turn-around of one’s lifestyle in order to take on a new road that leads to betterment. It is not a one-time change of heart but an ongoing, daily transformation of our lives.

Today’s gospel reading is a parable about God’s patience. The fig tree has been barren for years despite the best attention given to it.  The owner decided to cut it down because it was a waste of time and investments. But the gardener pleaded to give it one more chance, one more year. On deeper examination, the fig tree is a parable about ourselves. Though we have been barren, yet God gives us unending chances.

Jewish rabbis taught that repentance or teshuva required five elements. Recognition of one’s sin as sin; remorse for having committed the sin; desisting from repeating this sin; restitution for the damage done by the sin and confession. These elements are also included in Jesus’ call for our personal repentance. We need to seriously consider his words “if you do not repent, you will also perish as they did.” As Psalm 95 says: “if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”