Our Journey Home
The age in which we live today is a reflection of Jesus' narration of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The youngest son mentioned in it describes the state of us as individuals, families, societies, countries and the world. Because of our sinfulness and concupiscence, we consciously or unconsciously cut off our relationship with our Heavenly Father, the source of all life, love, and grace. Our "leaving" means that we stop or even refuse to accept the grace from heaven, and try to live by our own means and meet all the challenges of life by ourselves. In calm and prosperous days, we seem to be able to cope, but when the external environment deteriorates, such as the global epidemic that we are facing, wars, political instability, and various threats to our lives and normal lives, we will feel helpless, empty, disoriented, worried, and even depressed and exhausted. Our state is like a baby in the womb with a broken umbilical cord from its mother. Without the "support" of God, who created us and has always provided for us, how can we cope with and withstand these external shocks? Gradually we lose hope of life and even survival, passing the day in numb and depressing ways. This is what happens when we surrender ourselves to the enemy. Sadly, because God is love, when we break away from "love", we unilaterally destroy the covenant with God, and we slowly break away from relationships with those around us, resulting in broken marriages, polarized societies, and even killing between nations or cultures, creating a state of fragmentation in our world and society today. These are all because we choose to be in the company of our enemy and hurt our Heavenly Father who loves us most. We need to know that we should always be with God, and whatever the Father has belongs to us, heirs of the kingdom of heaven, and a group that has the ability to change the state of the world.
During this Lent, let us, like the younger son in the parable, ask ourselves: how much the Father loves us, how much He wants us to have the best part, and how much He wants us to change our hearts and return to Him.
Let's learn from the younger son, get up and return to the Father immediately after waking up. We will find that the Father, who has always been faithful to us, will be moved by His compassion when He sees us returning. He will disregard the past, run forward, throw himself on our necks, and kiss us passionately. He will also "restore" our identity as His children, free us from the slavery of sin, set us free, and restore order to our lives, so that we can live in the unparalleled love and generosity of our Heavenly Father in His house (the kingdom of heaven) in infinite happiness for eternity!
Remarks:
If you wish to re-experience the infinite forgiveness and love of the Father through the "Parable of the Prodigal Son" and reposition yourself during this Lent, I sincerely invite you to participate in the "Our Journey Home" 40-day Lenten online retreat. Fountain of Love and Life also has a 40-day Lenten online retreat with the theme of "Finding Order in Chaos". Don't miss the opportunity for self-reflection this Lent and march forward on the journey of faith!