Scripture reflection
The sacrament of penance is shown as the son’s realization of mistake and decision to go back home and repent. The suffering he received before he realized represents the act given by the priest to become pure again. The sin itself is represented as the wasteful spending of his father’s money and his desire for his father’s money.
We also learn that for every sin, there is a repercussion attached to it. In this parable, because the prodigal sin took his share of his father’s wealth before it was time, in the end, he came back with a numerous amount of repercussions faced. Similarily, in our daily lives, for every sin that we commit, there is a repercussion, which is dependent on the intensity of the sin. Since the sin of the son was quite big, his suffering was long lasting.
The parable of the lost son illustrates the sacrament of penance in many ways. Firstly, we learn that God’s love is unconditional. Throughout the struggles of the prodigal son, including the wasting of his father’s money, his father’s love does not waver even for a bit, and even welcomes him home and rejoices with a feast that he has repented. This unconditional love is the same as the love that God has for us.
We are like the prodigal son in many ways. We make mistakes that affect our relationship temporarily with God, and go astray, often absorbed by the pleasures of this world, but in the end, we realize our sins and repent to God. These sins, although cruel and despicable, never affect his love for us.