Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/615

 sin, and  implore  his  pardon. The confession  of  sins  is  the  obvious  and necessary expression  of  contrition,  and  is  the  indispensable  condition of forgiveness.

3. God's  reception  of  the  penitent  sinner.  The  prodigal  son  carried out his  good  resolutions  at  once. Thus must  it  be  with  the  sinner:  he must  not  put  off  his  conversion,  but  must  be  reconciled  to  God  as  soon as possible. And then,  even  as  the  father  in  the  parable  went  to  meet his son  and  received  him  lovingly,  so  will  God  meet  the  sinner  by  His merciful grace,  forgive  him  his  sins,  and  give  him  the  kiss  of  peace. Then, by  the  hands  of  His  servants  (i.  e.  His  priests),  He  re-clothes  him with the  robe  of  innocence,  i.  e.  sanctifying  grace,  and  adorns  him  again with the  supernatural  virtues  befitting  the  state  of  a divine  sonship  (ring), and enabling  him  to  walk  justly  before  God  (shoes). Finally, God  prepares a feast  for  the  converted  sinner,  giving  to  him  the  Lamb  of  God, for the  nourishment  of  his  soul,  in  Holy  Communion. The Lord  God rejoices and  calls  on  all  His  Angels  and  Saints  to  rejoice  with  Him, because a man  who  was  dead,  who  had  lost  the  supernatural  life  of grace,  and  who  was  under  the  sentence  of  eternal  death,  is  alive  again, and is  once  more  a child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  heaven.

Mortal Sin.  Our  Lord  Himself  in  this  parable  describes  a sinner as one  who  is  dead:  therefore  we  are  right  in  using  the  term  “mortal”  sin.

God's incomprehensible  love  of  penitent  sinners. Though  the  sinner has offended  Him  so  grievously  and  so  often,  yet  He  reproaches  him not, but  forgives  him  everything,  and  restores  him  to  his  former  rights and dignity  of  sonship. God alone  can  love  in  this  way,  and  to  us this  sort  of  love  is  inconceivable. Our Lord  portrays  this  narrow-mindedness of  ours  in  the  conclusion  of  the  parable. The elder  son cannot understand  his  father’s  joy;  he  murmurs  at  it,  and  refuses  to take  part  in  it;  and  even  professes  to  believe  that  his  father  prefers the returned  prodigal  to  himself,  the  faithful,  obedient  and  industrious son. By this  behaviour  of  the  elder  son  our  Lord  signifies  the  jealousy of the  Pharisees,  who  considered  themselves  to  be  just,  and  murmured at the  deep  interest  which  Jesus  took  in  sinners. By the  father’s  answer in the  parable  our  Lord  shows  how  very  unjustifiable  any  such  jealousy would be. The just  man  ought  to  think  of  the  great  happiness  which he has  had  of  being  always  in  the  love  and  grace  of  God:  and  if  he will  try  to  realize  what  the  infinite  love  of  God  is  for  every  soul  which He has  made,  he  will  rejoice  with  God  as  often  as  a soul  which  had been lost  is  found  or  saved. As the  angels  rejoice  over  the  return  of the  prodigal,  so  ought  we  to  rejoice  over  the  conversion  of  sinners!

You too  have  offended  God,  though  perhaps not so  grievously  as  did  the  sinner  in  the  parable;  and  God  has forgiven you  your  sins  in  the  holy  Sacrament  of  Penance. Have