Isn’t this what Jesus meant when, on the night of his passion, he offered his great Priestly Prayer to our heavenly Father: “so they may share my joy completely”?
(John 17:13)
Pope Francis must have had this prayer in mind when he wrote his book, The Joy of Discipleship.
Jesus is all mercy, all love, Francis writes. In Jesus’ eyes, each of us is the little lost lamb, the mislaid coin, the child who squanders an inheritance on illusions of happiness.
The Pope writes that God does not forget us, never abandons us. He is a patient father, always waiting for us. He respects our freedom, but he remains faithful forever. When we come back to him, he welcomes us like children into his house, for he never ceases to wait for us with love. And his heart rejoices over every child who trusts in his divine mercy and returns to him and asks his forgiveness.
Our prayer today:
Peter W. Yaremko, a former journalist, is the owner of Executive Media, Inc. and is a specialist in executive communications. He attends St. Peter the Apostle Church in Provincetown, Massachusetts and blogs at peterwyaremko.com/paradise_diaries.