FATHER’S LOVE

The Spanish have a touching story about an estranged father and son. When the son, Paco, leaves home after a severe argument, the father looks for him everywhere. After months of searching in vain, he takes one last desperate step: he publishes an announcement in one of Madrid’s daily newspapers. The statement reads: “Dear Paco, I will wait for you at the entrance of the Almudena Cathedral on Saturday afternoon. Everything is forgiven. I love you. With longing and love, Your Father.”

On that Saturday afternoon, eight hundred Pacos stand at the cathedral doors, waiting for their father’s forgiveness and love. Eight hundred young men, all named Paco, all yearning for the same thing: the forgiveness and love of their father.

This story mirrors the divine truth of our relationship with God. Just as the father in the story searched desperately for his son, our heavenly Father seeks us with even greater fervor. He proclaims His love and forgiveness in the pages of the Holy Scriptures and waits with open arms for the return of His estranged sons and daughters.

In the book of Psalms, we read a beautiful passage that captures this divine truth: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:8-14).

Our God, our heavenly Father, is full of mercy and grace. He knows our weaknesses and our shortcomings, and yet He loves us as His children. When we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, He removes our sins from us as far as the East is from the West. That’s the kind of love our Father has for us!

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
June 14, 2024