‘I have often heard it said in retreats and on other occasions that an innocent soul never loves God as much as a repentant soul. How I long to prove that this is not true!’ (Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus).
It is often claimed that only the prodigal son is capable of loving his father, because he has experienced his mercy after squandering his inheritance. In this case, the other son who remained with his father, serving him day after day, is forgotten. The pious man who strives every day to please the Lord is forgotten. The worker who has endured the weight of the day and the heat without complaining and without envying the one who came last is forgotten (cf. Mt 20:12). The Mother of the Lord is forgotten, who always loved without ever sinning. Perhaps these words of Jesus have not been understood correctly: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7).
However, the father in the parable of the prodigal son explains it to us correctly: ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found’ (vv. 31-32).
These are two different expressions of joy. The joy for the sinner who converts is imbued with the joy and relief that he is not condemned forever. The joy for the faithful son is quieter, more natural… But how could our Father rejoice less for those who remain faithful to Him?
How good of you to clarify things, dear Thérèse, so that pious souls are not considered those who love the least and are less loved by God.
‘Let us love, for that is why our hearts are made’ (Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus).