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Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee (Lk. 15:18)
Beloved brethren, who among us has not and does not work for sin every day, voluntarily or involuntarily, consciously or unconsciously, knowingly or unknowingly? Who has not angered the Lord, Who is boundless 
On Truth and LoveThe hardest thing is to preserve love in ourselves to the very death.
“>Truth and Love? Who has not been wounded by the blade of sin and not experienced the sharpness and harshness of sin, the heavy bewilderment of conscience, sorrow, and constraint—those usual companions of sin? All of us, young and old, are sinners before God and therefore subject to punishment and separation from God; and if the Lord, out of His infinite love and mercy for fallen man, hadn’t given him repentance and remission of sins for the sake of the sacrifice of His Only-Begotten Son on the Cross, then all men would descend into hell, into the place of eternal torment.
But, glory to the all-good and all-wise God Who has given repentance to sinners—unto eternal life. Countless sinners have been washed with tears of repentance, justified and sanctified by the most pure Blood of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ Who took our sins upon Himself and suffered all the punishments that were prepared for us because of them, and they rejoice now with the angels in the abodes of the saints. All of you standing here, sinners like me—do you cherish this priceless gift of the Lord, the gift of repentance? Do you sigh like the publican, do you weep like the harlot, do you water your couch with tears like the Forefather David, do you return to the Heavenly Father with sincere, deep repentance like the prodigal son, whom you heard about in today’s Gospel reading?
There’s no other way for sinners to live and to regain the grace and mercy of the Heavenly Father save that of sincere, true repentance, with the fruits of repentance. And the holy Church, the bearer and interpreter of the Holy Spirit and His infinite love and mercy, arouses us all to repentance every day. And in these days, as the great days of fasting and repentance draw near, it especially rouses us this Sunday with the reading of the Savior’s touching parable about the prodigal son and the chanting of moving penitential hymns.
As good children, let us all respond to the loving voice of our holy mother—the Church; let us awaken from our sleep of sin, let us walk honestly, as in the day (Rom. 13:13); let us abandon the pleasures of the flesh; let us take care of the immortal soul; let us begin to do the works of God, and then we will enjoy peace of mind and the comforts of a clear conscience. Oh, how merciful and quick to hear is our Father, Lord, and “With What Judgment Ye Judge, Ye Shall Be Judged”It’s been almost thirteen years since that day and our Alexander hasn’t had any attacks—his asthma has disappeared.
“>Judge—God! He immediately makes haste with rich mercy to every sincerely repentant sinner, delivers him from the troubles, sorrows, and misfortunes that befall him for his sins, grants peace and breadth to his heart, and turns his sorrow into joy. Every truly repentant sinner has experienced this for himself.
This is also shown by the Gospel we read today about the prodigal, repentant son.
As soon as he firmly resolved to return and went to his father’s house with repentance, his father saw him and had compassion upon him, and running to him, he fell on his neck and kissed him. His son said: Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry (Lk. 15:21-24). A touching image of fatherly love on the one hand, and sincere repentance on the other. This is a parable presenting a father, a man, who is both good and merciful, and a wanton but repentant son.
But let’s delve into the deep inner meaning of this parable. Instead of an ordinary father, imagine God, the common Father of mankind, and His boundless love for a world lost in sin. What kind table did He prepare for the sinners whom He adopted through faith and Baptism? He didn’t slaughter a calf, but gave His Only-Begotten Son as a voluntary sacrifice; He didn’t prepare the flesh of a calf for a feast, but gave the On Holy Communion
Of The Body And Blood Of The SaviorWe should remember that in accepting into ourselves God’s Body and Blood, we assume great responsibility for our personal future.
“>Flesh and Blood of His Son, and gives it to us for food and drink, for the remission of sins unto life eternal. Such a spiritual, life-giving, salvific, wonderful feast of faith and salvation! Such fatherly, immeasurable love for us sinners! Do you feel this love, O sinner? Do you respond to this love with love? Do you sincerely repent of your iniquities that you might be made worthy of such a spiritual feast unto your salvation and enjoy the love of the Heavenly Father, His Only-Begotten Son, and the Comforter the Holy Spirit? Without repentance, there will be no Sacrament unto salvation.
And what are the best robe, the ring, and the shoes? The robe that the father clothed his prodigal son in refers to the robe of righteousness that Jesus Christ clothes us in, or it is Christ Himself, as it’s written: As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). It means we should live in all truth and righteousness. What is the ring placed on his finger? This is the betrothal of the Holy Spirit, given to the hearts of believers. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Cor. 3:16). And it’s fitting for God’s temple to be sanctified at all times: Let us live holy lives. The shoes on his feet is the grace to walk directly along the path of Christ’s commandments: Order my steps, it is said, according to Thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me (Ps. 118:133), for without such shoes of grace, we can’t walk in the straight paths of God’s commandments. Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings (Jer. 18:1 25:5), says the word of God. And so, in spiritual shoes, in spiritual zeal, let us make haste to God, laying aside the sleep of sin, laziness, and negligence.
Great Lent is coming soon—a time of prayer and fasting, confession of sins, and communion of the holy, life-giving Mysteries. Let us purify our souls and bodies through fasting, prayer, and sincere repentance, and prepare ourselves to be the temple of the Lord, Who desires to make His abode and live in us. Look at how those who want to meet the king or some high-ranking man prepare everything for this meeting. They level and clear all the roads along which he is to travel, decorate houses with colorful banners and lights and do everything they can to show their diligence and joy. Everyone tries to get a look at him, and if anyone were lucky enough to welcome the king into his home, he would be beside himself with delight. If those who want to meet an earthly king, a man like themselves, prepare, greet, and receive him this way, then with what care and diligence must we prepare to receive the Heavenly King, Creator, and God?
For as infinitely higher is the Heavenly King than the earthly king, as infinitely more righteous is the Heavenly King than the earthly king, so much greater and more thorough must be our preparation, and so much more distinct from our preparation to meet an earthly king. For the Heavenly King needs our souls and bodies pure and adorned with virtues, and not magnificently decorated houses, not colorful banners, but a variety of virtues according to each man’s ability and condition; not brightly burning lights, but our souls brightly burning with faith and love. Let us prepare such a welcome for the Heavenly King, that we may be worthy to joyfully receive Him into our spiritual homes, into our hearts.
Amen.
