Lavishly Loving

The appropriately fitting Gospel for Lent, the Prodigal Son, AKA, the Prodigal Father, the Parable of the Two Sons (Lk 15: 11-32), gives us a picture of the enormous love between a Father and his sons.  Despite his bold demand for his inheritance before his father's death, and the squandering of it, the "bad son" cannot escape the Father's unbounded love, even before he sees the error of his ways and returns begging forgiveness. The Father had been waiting for him daily and spared no expense to lavish his love and forgiveness upon him. The "good" son, resents this, blinded by he is by his own self-righteousness and self-pity and fails to welcome his brother with even a smidgen of love.  Yet, the Father lovingly explains his position without dismissing this older son, giving him a chance to repent from his sin as the younger son had done.
It's very hard to accept such unconditional love, especially when all we see is the "bad" side of our lives. If we cannot see the good in ourselves, how can we see it in others, especially in our loving Father, whose love seems "unreal", too good to be true?  He knows this and will continue to love and to lavish that love upon us, until, like the younger son, we bend in humility and accept his lavish love.
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner; remove the scales from hy eyes that I may see and accept your unconditional love. Amen.
Bro Rene