As we read the story of the Prodigal Son today, which I prefer to call it as the ‘Parable of the Forgiving Father,’ I share with you this story that is similar to the classic parable Jesus shared today. It is about a young man named David whom we find sitting on a bench in a public garden writing a letter to his mother. In it he is expressing his hope that his father would welcome him again in their home after having a heated argument a few weeks earlier. He wrote ‘Dear mother, in a few days I will be passing by our house on the train. I want you to tell papa that if he is willing to welcome me back home, ask him to tie a white handkerchief on one of the branches of the huge carob tree we have by our house.’ A few days later, David is on the train approaching his home. In front of his eyes there are two scenes flashing back and forth. One of them is the empty tree, and the other one the tree with a white handkerchief on it. With his heart beating heavily, he couldn’t get to look up to look at the tree, so he asked a fellow passenger sitting next to him on the train ‘’Mister, around this corner you’ll see a house with a large tree next to it. Please tell me if you see a white piece of cloth tied to a branch....’ The passenger looked, and surprised he exclaimed ‘oh my goodness, there is a handkerchief tied to every single branch!’ It is with the same amount of love and compassion that God welcomes us back with Him whenever we turn away from Him.
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