“There is justice and mercy at the same time.”
We are all familiar with the parable of the Prodigal Son. In brief, the story tells about a father with two sons. One day the younger son asks his father for his share of his inheritance. So the father divided his estate between them. A few days later, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off for a distant country where he squandered his inheritance to a life of dissipation. When famine struck, the younger son found himself in dire straits, so he hired himself out to a local citizen who sent him to his farm to tend to the swine.
Finally coming to his senses, he thought, “how many of my father’s hired workers have enough food to eat, but here I am dying of hunger.”
With utmost humility and repentance, he decided to return to his father. When he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. The father ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him. He then ordered his servants to bring the finest robe and put it on him, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet, and slaughter the fattest calf in order for them to celebrate.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son tells that Our Father in Heaven is ever merciful and forgiving. We too are like prodigal sons who spend our heavenly inheritance wasted on a life of sin, often mindless of its consequences. We come to our senses only when we begin to get pinched by the pain and suffering of our transgressions. Our Heavenly Father is one who is slow to anger and compassionate of heart. He is so forgiving and will never let down a sinner who displays contrition, sincerely asks for forgiveness, and shows a strong resolve to mend his erring ways.
One of the most persistent roadblocks to peace and human harmony is the lack of tolerance, hatred, anger, and unwillingness to forgive. People often harbor hatred for some real or imagined offense. Across history, conflicts of intolerance due to religious, social, and political differences are a dime a dozen. Conflicts often arise when instead of dialogue, people tend to exact revenge for the “sins” of others.
The elder son is one other important character in the parable from whom Jesus draws some teachings. As told, when the elder son returned from work, he learned about the celebration. He became angry and refused to enter the house. But when his father learned about this, he came out and pleaded with his son. The father assured the elder son that everything he owns will go to him but there is every reason to celebrate because his brother was lost and has been found, was dead but has returned to life.
Here, Jesus tells his listeners that Our Father in Heaven is not only merciful but also a just God. He does not only forgive a repentant sinner but will justly give the faithful, as personified by the elder son, what is due them. By this parable, Jesus is telling his listeners how much rejoicing there will be in heaven over the return of one repentant sinner than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent.
During this campaign season, we read all over social media so much toxicity, fault finding, and condemnation, especially against those who may have different views. Online violence and threats of violence is a real problem nowadays. A mistake, any mistake, real or perceived, or faux pas for that matter, is always an occasion to ridicule, deride or condemn. Many take delight in seeing others humiliated in public, pilloried, or meet some misfortune as a comeuppance that they “deserve” only because they are seen to have committed some “offenses” or “hold contrary views.”
Yet Jesus, in narrating the parable of the Prodigal Son, tells us how special the virtues of mercy, compassion and forgiveness are. These are virtues that are most pleasing in the eyes of God. Like the father in the parable, we should learn not to condemn easily, find fault and get angry at others who we feel might have slighted or caused us pain or even hold different beliefs from us. The best path is not to seek revenge, or put down a person but to dialogue in a civilized manner, acknowledging that we are all sinners. Human nature is never perfect, it is fraught with frailties and weaknesses. Therefore, no one is in a position to judge and condemn.
Only God the Father is the just judge and ever-merciful justifier. This way, like the father in the parable, we see people, even the most sinful amongst us, through the lens of mercy and compassion. This does not mean however that we tolerate wrongdoing. On the contrary, it is a moral obligation to lead the errant towards the right path. In fact, the father in the parable welcomed his erring son with open arms but he never promised to restore his lost inheritance. This is mercy and justice at the same time. As the saying goes, do not hate the sinner but condemn the sin. We are after all prodigal children of the same God.
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