THE appalling murder of little Daniel Pelka by his mother and her partner has revolted and horrified an entire nation.

I have no wish to dwell on the details, but it has thrown into sharp contrast the need for increased vigilance in the care of our children.

Our parents are those who, more than anyone, give themselves to us and for us and in the vast majority of cases our communities are filled with loving and caring mums and dads producing well-adjusted children.

Nevertheless, there remains within many of us a sense of dislocation and abandonment some have equated with a kind of interior “fatherlessness”.

We often see it manifested in our view of God. Even (perhaps especially) religious people regard Him as stern and unforgiving, just waiting for us to put a foot wrong so he can press the “smite button” (like the God portrayed in The Simpsons) or condemn and judge us for the lives we lead.

The wonderful truth is actually that “Our Father in Heaven” really loves us! One of our best-known parables tells of a rebellious child who squandered his father’s inheritance and slunk home expecting to be punished. Instead his father threw a party.

To put it another way – come home, all is forgiven!