The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable.

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, “Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, “How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called you son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But his father ordered his servants, “Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.” Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, “Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.” He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, “Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never have me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.” He said to him, “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Jesus Christ: the master of the art of the parable.

The fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke contains three parables that demonstrate God’s desire to seek out the lost (the Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son). This one is probably the most well-known of them.

A couple of things stand out to me.

First, the setting of the parable. The prodigal son goes from living on his father’s farm to tending the swine at the farm of a stranger. Such an occupation, at least for Jews, was not smiled upon. There is a drastic change from the life he once had to the misery he now experiences. Jesus paints a dark picture of the status of the prodigal son: he is broke, starving, and working a despised job far from home. It can be assumed that he walks with bare feet given his father’s order for a servant to put sandals on his feet. This is what it is like to live in the darkness of sin: hungry for what is good and working for sin’s wages under the command of mammon, the master which competes with God for our devotion. We feel ill when we spurn God and lose ourselves in a life of dissipation. This is to be expected, as we were not made for sin but goodness. Let me put it this way: when was the last time you used a spoon to knock in a nail? How did that work? Not very well, I bet. In a similar way, when we sin, we are not acting as we are designed, and that hurts us.

Second, the overabundant generosity of the father. It goes without saying that the father goes out of his way to demonstrate that his son is welcome back. This occurs even *after* the son asks for his share of the estate and wastes it all. This should serve as a model for us in how we should be generous with our mercy to those who ask of it. Holding grudges and refusing to forgive makes matters worse. We are called to be bigger than that and to show our appreciation for what God has measured out for us. God treats the penitent with an overabundance of grace. We can all rest assured in this generosity and should imitate it in our own lives.

On another note, as a Catholic, I try my best to approach the Sacrament of Confession with this parable in mind!

The parables on seeking out the lost are some of my favorites. They illustrate the deep desire that God has for each of us to be saved and show that He will go to great lengths to see us home safely. It is up to us to want to accept that help, though.

Thank you for reading. Peace.