27 Feb 2016
Every now and then we see it in the movies: somebody’s about
to get annihilated and they’re begging for mercy. And that’s where a lot of our images of “mercy”
come from. Of course, there are plenty
of stories in the Old Testament that seem to show a similar picture: God’s
about to destroy the people and Moses or another prophet steps in to beg God’s
mercy.
But with the Prodigal Son, God himself gives us an image of
mercy as something very different. Mercy
isn’t earned. It isn’t something we beg
for to avoid annihilation. And it’s not
even the “flip-side” of God’s capacity to be angry. Instead, mercy appears to be at the heart of
the Father (the father in the parable, and God the Father).
The “nature” of our God is not to be vengeful; rather, our
God is (by definition, it seems) a God overflowing
with kindness and forgiveness; God is a mercy-filled
God. Of course, it’s one thing to think that; it’s another to come back to
God with faith that he really is a merciful God.
As we go about Lenten penances and try to get closer to God,
it’s good to remember that God wants to be close to us as well. How many does Jesus say, “Be not afraid. Be not afraid.” And he’s right. What is
there to be afraid of? Our God is
merciful—not like what you see in the movies, but like we see in the story of
the Prodigal Son. All we need to do is
come back, and enjoy the feast of mercy.
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