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Pope: In forgiveness we see the true heart of God |
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15/03/2010 (1:27)
Benedict XVI on Sunday, March 14th, said that the Gospel parable of the prodigal son speaks powerfully of God, and lets us see his face, and better yet, his heart. He was speaking before the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
He said that after Jesus revealed the merciful love of the Father, everything changed. Now we know God is our Father, who created us free to love and gave us a consciousness that suffers if we get lost and that celebrates if we return.
The Pope explained that the relationship with God is built through a story, similar to what happens to every child with their parents: at the beginning he depends on them, then he claims his own autonomy, and finally he comes to a mature relationship based on genuine gratitude and love. The Holy Father said that within these stages we can discover moments of the journey of man in his relationship with God.
There is a phase that is like childhood: a religion provoked by need, by dependence. Gradually man grows and is emancipated, he wants to free himself from this submission and become free, adult and able to regulate himself and make his own choices independently, to the point of even thinking he can do without God. This phase, indeed, is a delicate one and can lead to atheism. Fortunately, God never fails in His loyalty, and even if we leave and get lost, He continues to follow us with His love, forgives our mistakes and speaks to our inner consciousness to call us back to him.
The Pope concluded by saying that only by experiencing forgiveness will we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.
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