So often we get this idea in our heads that our sin makes us unlovable to God, that we have to earn God’s affection by our good behavior. God’s not like that. God never stops loving us. So God provides a remedy for when we separate ourselves from him by our sin. We call that remedy the Sacrament of Penance, Reconciliation, or Confession. Just like all the sacraments, God's grace is truly made present to us through confession, where by visible signs and rituals we manifest the invisible action of God in the world. And the gospel we've just read, the parable of the Prodigal Son, has a lot to tell us about the invisible drama that takes place every time one of us makes a good confession.