In the story of the prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke, something/someone is missing. Where was the mom?" What would Mom have said about the two sons and her husband's relationship with them? Would she have argued to her husband that, to be fair, the older Son should also be given his inheritance and receive an appreciation like his younger brother? Alternatively, perhaps she would have told her husband, "This is all your fault. You allowed your younger son to claim his inheritance and leave home, and after he spent the inheritance, you threw a lavish party for him without even bother to consider how your elder son might feel."
In Rembrandt's famous painting of the Prodigal Son, we might spot the mother as she is standing way up in the very upper left-hand corner of the picture. She is hidden in the doorway and almost a ghost figure in the painting. But, the presence of a woman / the mother is not supposed to be a figure hidden in the shadows; instead, she has an important role that will change the dynamics of this story. The mother has an essential role as the agent of reconciliation, which will help the reconciliation between the elder son and his father. The mother can help the elder Son to understand that when his father says, "Everything is yours," it is a sign of love from his father. The gift of love from his father will be useless if the elder son rejects it out of jealousy toward his younger brother. So, when we look for the missing mom in the story of the Prodigal Son, we remember that each of us has to play the role of the mother as an agent of reconciliation.
Perhaps during the rest of Lent and before Holy Week begins, we can pray for the grace of reconciliation with God and the grace to receive mercy. Only after we receive the grace that has been given to us are we ready to be agents of reconciliation and help reconcile others.