The Prodigal Son

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ – Luke 15:17

The Prodigal Son

This story is written in the Gospel of St. Luke chapter 15. This Gospel was written to the Gentiles, that’s why Jesus meant every detail in the story.

This good father is God the father who have two sons, the older & the younger. The older didn’t leave the house but stayed there with slave spirit & attitude. This actually represents the Jews who knew God not as a father but as a master who gives orders & puts commandments . They didn’t know God’s heart towards other nations , on the contrary they called them “ dogs “, although God had given the Jews the responsibility to declare Him , as God , to all the nations just as any older son in a family is sharing the responsibility of teaching the younger one who their father is .

On the contrary, we don’t find any mention of the older son when the younger was taking that big decision to leave the house after taking his share in the wealth of the father.

Strangely enough, we find this older son giving his father a hard time during the celebration of the younger one’s return, and this is exactly what the Jews did in the early church time, they did trouble the new believers in Christ tremendously.

The younger son did leave the house taking with him his share in his father’s wealth, this represents the other nations who departed far away from God’s image which all mankind were created upon. The more man ran away from God, the more this perfect image was greatly distorted, till finally he became indulged in this filthy job of feeding the pigs.

Finding himself hungry, lonely & left alone in such a miserable life he decided to be back home without knowing what would the father’s heart be. This is exactly what all of us, as Gentiles, who didn’t have God’s commandments did.

When this prodigal son was still a great way off, his father saw him, ran & fell on his son’s neck kissing and embracing even before the words of repentance were uttered. This is the real demonstration of God’s love to sinners whatever what dark past they may have lived.

Immediately after this son had confessed his sinful life & judged himself as unworthy, the father’s gifts started, the best robe which represents the robe of righteousness of the Baptism sacrament (Is 61:10) , the ring which represents the seal of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation , and the eating of the fatted calf which represents the Eucharist , the body & the blood of Jesus Christ .

This eternal celebration never ends & will continue as long as more and more sinners turn to God and repent.