At the Last Supper, the Lord speaks to his disciples about his heavenly Father. “From now on you know him and have seen him” (John 14:7). The Apostle Philip says to the Lord, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8). The Lord says to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

At that time, photographs did not exist. If Philip desired something resembling a photograph of the heavenly Father, the verbal image the Lord painted of the merciful father in this Sunday's Gospel reading is the most perfect.

The merciful father has many qualities or features that become evident in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Among them is his profound respect for the freedom of his youngest son. God created us with the ability to choose what we desire. God respects the decision to leave the Father's house—that is, to go and do our own will, not God's.

Another feature of the merciful father is that he is a father who hopes against all odds. The merciful father never separated from his youngest son. He always kept him in his heart, despite the distance. On the day of our baptism, we are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Wherever we are, no matter how far our greatest sin has caused us to feel, there God is present in our souls. He is always with us. We are inserted into the heart of God through baptism. God loved us so much that he sent his own Son to save us.

The merciful father never stopped waiting for his son's return. He could see him from afar the day his son returned, because every day he went out to see the road as far as possible to spot him as soon as he appeared. He searched the son out. The merciful father, as soon as he saw him from afar, went out himself to find him. The merciful father in the parable is the Lord himself. He is God made man. He came to us when we were still far away, in sin. He always sees us as his children, even when we are lost.

The younger son began as a counter example for us and ended up being an example for us. He teaches us the process of conversion. He teaches us how to make a good confession. When the situation of sin reached rock bottom, the younger son began to reflect. A good examination of conscience is necessary for a good confession. We need to face the sin in which we are immersed.

Hunger moved this son to reflect. This led him to feel sorrow for his sin, for the offense he had committed against his father. Deep sorrow for our sins, for the offense against God we have committed, is also necessary for a good confession. The younger son made the decision to return to his father. This showed that he was going to change his life; he would return to doing God's will and not his own. A resolution to change our lives is also necessary for a good confession.

The sacrament of Penance is the best moment to experience God's infinite mercy. It is there that the Lord opens his arms to us, forgives us and renews our dignity as children of God. This feast of reconciliation continues in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the feast that God throws in our honor to celebrate our reconciliation with Him and with all.

The following is the first question I ask everybody in confession (and I would like to ask you today for your reflection): When was your last confession? If it was a long time ago, this fact should not be one more thing that embarrasses us, preventing us again from “getting up, and going to the father”. The Lord wants each of us, no matter how long it has been.