He is our companion to Pascha. His memory resonates in the prayers of the Great Lent from beginning to end. In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), God has been revealed to be a God Who does not want anything as much as He wants us to be free with Him, regardless of the cost of this will: losing His "fortune", being scoffed at by people, being blamed by His own kinsfolk, our elder brethren... He is a God Who loves us, a God in Whose house we found out that we are able to say to Him: yes, or no; a God Who, if we leave Him, will not abandon us, but rather accompanies us to our utmost remoteness and barrenness; a God Who, if He senses a whisper of longing for Him emanating from us, He will come to us, wherever we are, lead us to Him, and even condescend to reveal that His longing for us is greater than our longing for Him. He who says that his sins are too great for God to turn mercifully to him is insane. Equally insane is he who projects on God another image that does not resemble His image in the parable of the prodigal son. Do we truly want to reach Pascha? Let us hold the hand of the prodigal son. This one knows the way.
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