Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today, we reflect on the beautiful and profound parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15:11-32. This parable is not just a story; it’s a powerful message about love, forgiveness, and redemption.
The younger son, filled with youthful impatience, asks his father for his inheritance while the father is still alive. This request may seem selfish, but it reflects a deeper spiritual truth: how often do we long for the gifts of God while neglecting the relationship with the Giver? The son leaves, squandering his wealth in reckless living, illustrating the allure of sin that tempts us all. We may stray from God, thinking that joy is found in fleeting pleasures.
However, when a famine strikes, the son finds himself in desperate need, feeding pigs—an image resonant with loss and degradation. It is in this moment of despair that he comes to himself, realising that even the hired servants of his father live better than he does. This realisation leads him to repent and return home, a powerful reminder that no matter how far we wander from God, His loving arms are always open, waiting for our return.
The father’s reaction is striking; he does not scold or reject his son but runs to him, embracing him with joy. This illustrates the boundless mercy of God, who welcomes sinners home with unconditional love. The father’s lavish forgiveness demonstrates that God rejoices over each repentant heart.
As we hear this parable, let us reflect on our own lives. Are there areas where we have strayed? Are we hesitant to return to God, convinced of our unworthiness? Remember, God’s love does not depend on our perfection but on His grace.
Let us also consider the elder son, who struggles with resentment and jealousy. He believes his faithfulness entitles him to rewards, yet he fails to see that the joy of the father is a call to grace, not a measure of merit. May we learn to share in the joy of God’s forgiveness for others, too.
In conclusion, the parable of the Prodigal Son invites us all to reflect on the themes of repentance, reconciliation, and mercy. Let us turn towards God with open hearts, receiving and extending the love that transforms us. Amen.
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 15:1-3 &11-32
Glory to you, O Lord
The tax collectors and the sinners, meanwhile, were all seeking his company to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained.
‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.
So he spoke this parable to them:
‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father,
“Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.”
So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.
‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said,
“How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.”
So he left the place and went back to his father.
‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son.”
But the father said to his servants,
“Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.”
And they began to celebrate.
‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about.
“Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.”
He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father,
“Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”
The father said,
“My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”‘
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.