If any of us ever doubted that forgiveness is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the Gospel and the theme of all Revelation, today's readings should heal that!  First we hear from the prophet, Micah, that the very nature of God is faithfulness in clemency and compassion and God's work is "casting  all our sins into the depths of the sea."  Then we pray, proclaim, and sing  in the psalm that the kindness and compassion of God surpasses our sins as the heavens are high above the earth.  And, finally, the Gospel is the parable of the Prodigal Father (which, I think, is a more apt title than Prodigal Son), in which "Everyman" (which means every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth) hears the story of his/her own recovery.  Eight days from now, on the 4th Sunday of Lent, we will have another shot at meditating on this most universal and comforting of all parables.  That is truly a happy coincidence since we can never exhaust the meaning of this superlative story or dive deeply enough into the infinite well of God's loving kindness.

So, how does one meditate on or contemplate that "mercy which is beyond all God's works?"  I offer this simple but powerful  suggestion: each of us, in light of the parable, is called to remember and pray over his/her own journey back to God.  In specific detail, recall how we were lost and then found, had died and were brought back to life, by that wondrous love made visible in the passion and death of Jesus Christ.  With "a cry of wonder accompanied by surging emotion" (from the SPIRITUAL EXERCISES), I will review the salvation history that has been my life, marveling at the wise and tender mercies of my God sustaining me in life and leading me always homeward.

Finally, I recommend that we conclude our prayer with the "colloquy" (speaking to God as one friend speaks to another) St. Ignatius offers as a fitting conclusion to any examination of our sinfulness: "Imagine Christ our Lord present before you upon the cross, and begin to speak with him, asking how it is that though He is the Creator, He has stooped to become man, and to pass from eternal life to death here in time, that thus He might die for our sins.  I  shall also reflect upon myself and ask: What have I done for Christ?  What am I doing for Christ?  What ought I do for Christ?"

"As I behold Christ in this plight, nailed to the cross, I shall ponder upon what presents itself to my mind" and I shall share with Christ what I find in my heart.