Every time I come back to today’s Gospel, the parable of the prodigal son, I am struck by something different. There are so many aspects of the parable that stand out but one that I always think about is in Luke 15: 20 which says “So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” I love this passage because it hits very close to home. How many times have we fallen, made a mistake, or in some way hurt our relationship with God? But every time God comes running to us with open arms. He sees us from a long way off and comes to us. In Lent, we are working on drawing closer to God as we journey with Jesus through the desert. Traveling through the desert is not easy and we make mistakes, but when we choose to get back up and try again God, like a good father, runs to us.
– Laura Johnson