Forgiveness

What's the point of repentance?  Why say, "I'm sorry?"  Who cares?  These are all questions most of us have asked ourselves at one time or another.  The answers that came, if they came at all, may not have been satisfying.  I would simply suggest reading today's Gospel lesson, Luke 15, the story of the Prodigal Son.  There we see an image of forgiveness that is so capacious, so filled with love, that it is breathtaking.  And it's what's on offer for you and me from our Lord.  God welcomes our repentance not because he's some stern judge sitting on his bench waiting to mete out punishment but because he is a loving father who wants us to get things right and live our lives they way they were meant to be lived: in community, with family and friends, sharing God's grace, and peace, and love, which was made known to us in Jesus.

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