用愛與寬恕為主締造和平──談「蕩子回頭」之父親的啓示

God’s Peacemaker－the Father of the Prodigal Son

《路加福音》一向強調耶穌的仁慈，尤其在「蕩子回頭」的比喻中更是如此。蕩子的父親用愛與寬恕接納悔改的蕩子，並喜悅地慶祝這位死而復生、失而復得的兒子歸來。本文使用「基源問題研究法」，嘗試藉由蕩子的父親用「愛與寬恕促進和平」為出發點，加上《聖經》中猶太傳統與天主教傳統，與教會內所提供的相關勸諭與教導，來檢視這個「蕩子回頭」故事內文中的背景與脈絡；並以已故聖若望保祿二世與南非曼德拉總統用愛與寬恕締造和平為實例，舉出二位偉大人物透過愛與寬恕促進和平的實例，使人瞭解到用愛與寬恕促進和平不僅是重要的，也是可行的，並能透過這樣的方式使世界更加和平與穩定。

The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the mercy of Jesus, especially through the parable of the prodigal son. The loving and forgiving father receives his prodigal son back after the son had decided to repent. Moreover, the father celebrates because his son was “dead” and now is “alive” again. This study attempts to discuss how the prodigal son’s father in the parable acts as a peacemaker with tender love and forgiveness. Moreover, his behavior can resonate with the ideas from the Bible and the papal messages for the World Day of Peace. This study adopts the “methods of primordial question”; first, the background and context of the parable from the Jewish and Christian traditions are examined. A closer look is taken at what is said in Catholic teaching about love and forgiveness. There are two examples of this teaching: Saint Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela. Both were peacemakers who used love and forgiveness to resolve conflicts. This study tries to let people in the contemporary world understand that love and forgiveness are not only important but also feasible, and can lead the world to a more peaceful and stable future.