Today's reflection centered on the Gospel story of the Prodigal Son, which the Pope suggested should be renamed the parable of the Father of Mercies. This parable shows the face of God, the Father of Mercies, in moving terms.
Pure legality is overcome by generous and gratuitous fatherly love, which surpasses human justice.
He is first and foremost Father. God the Father, who extends his arms that bless and has mercy, always waiting, never forcing his children in anything. His hands sustain, stretch out, give life, and at the same time comfort, console, caress. They are hands of a father and a mother at the same time. The Father of Mercies contains and transcends all the characteristics of fatherhood and motherhood.