In the parable of the forgiving father, the younger son returned home and was welcomed, forgiven, and restored to full sonship . . . The older son's resentment and ill will [had] distanced him from his brother to such an extent that he referred to him not as "my brother" but as "this son of yours." [He,] too, was lost; he was lost in a foreign land of his own making. All the father was able to do was invite the son to confront his negativity, accept his own position, and enter into the joy of his brother's return... Will you enter into the joy of your Father? —Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Sister Marie Schwan, CSJ, in Forgiveness: A Guide for Prayer |