FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT C
THE TRUE FACE OF GOD
LK. 15: 11-32
MESSAGE
What does God look like? This is a question that haunted people across generations, from the time of Jesus until today. We think we know God, but are we right? Some think of God in abstract terms of superiority and ascendancy – that he is perfect in his holiness and power that we cannot touch him. Some think of God in terms of consummate moral righteousness – infallible and always correct and so on the look out for those who fail.
Today the Lord Jesus uncovers the veil that hides the face of God. He knows God most intimately and truthfully as the Father of mercy and love. How does he know this? He comes from the Father and he is at the center of God’s own heart.
Jesus teaches that for the righteous, like the older son, God is a loving father who encourages. He is lavish in faithfulness to those who remain loyal. He is steady in giving guidance when those who follow him waver in their faith and commitment.
But for the sinful one, like the younger son, God is a loving father overflowing with mercy. He desires the sinner to return but does not force it on him. He rejoices when the sinner returns without uttering a word of reprimand, correction, or judgment. He simply embraces him and welcomes him back. Most of all, he restores him to his former place in the house, equal to his older brother, as if nothing happened.
This parable is the golden parable, the gospel in miniature, the heart of all the gospels, the surprising discovery of what God actually looks like. And in this Lenten season, the parable becomes alive in us who want to come close to God, who desire a relationship with him, who long to be restored to the dignity we have lost. This parable becomes alive in practice, when we go to Confession.
REFLECT
This Lent, let us prepare our hearts to encounter the Father of Jesus, the God he introduced to the world, the scandalous face of a God superabundant in mercy and love. Approach Confession not with fear or shame but with the confidence of the older son who knows the Father will understand him and the younger son who believes the Father will welcome him back with perfect love.
