Fourth Sunday of Lent Year C
Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Called to the Banquet of Mercy

This Sunday, we are invited to contemplate the tender mercy of God through the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32). In this familiar story, Jesus reveals the heart of our Heavenly Father—a heart that forgives without hesitation and rejoices in welcoming His children home. The younger son returns not out of deep repentance but driven by hunger and desperation. Yet, his father runs to embrace him, clothes him in dignity, and celebrates his return. Such is the mercy of God. He does not measure our worthiness but welcomes us back simply because we are His children.

But the story also introduces the elder son, who struggles to understand this mercy. Though he has remained faithful and obedient, his heart is hardened by resentment. He cannot rejoice over his brother’s return because he sees their relationship in terms of duty and merit, not love. How often do we, like the elder son, live our faith as if it were mere obligation, finding it hard to welcome those we judge as less deserving? How easy it is to distance ourselves from our brothers and sisters, forgetting that we are all part of the same family of God.

The Father in the parable pleads with both sons to enter into His joy. God desires not reluctant servants but joyful children who celebrate His mercy together. He longs for us to rejoice when a sinner returns, to embrace rather than exclude, and to see each person through the lens of love and forgiveness.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary help us to open our hearts to God’s mercy, so we may extend that same mercy to others. Let us join the Father’s banquet with hearts full of compassion and joy. Amen.

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Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025