“He was lost and has been found.” Lk. 15:1-3. 11-32

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals to us who God is and his way of loving. He does so through a simple but deeply provocative parable: a father with two lost sons. The younger son leaves looking for freedom and ends up empty. When he returns, he finds no reproach or punishment, but an embrace. The father does not wait for explanations: he runs, hugs and restores dignity.  The elder son, on the other hand, never left home, but his heart was far away. He complied, he obeyed, but he did not understand mercy. He judges, he feels righteous, but not joyful. He too needs to be converted, to learn to love as his father loves. Who do we identify with today? With the son who moves away, with the one who judges, or with the father who loves unconditionally?