How often have we read and heard the story of the Prodigal son? Quite a bit I would guess. And yet, every time we do read it or hear it the Holy Spirit helps us see something new.
I believe the story itself is the thesis of the entire salvation history story. In the beginning the prodigal children move away from God, i.e. the fall of Adam and Eve. After the fall they seek to return to their Father, i.e. the People of God repenting of their sins and wandering and returning home.
Jesus tells the story because he wants everyone, and I repeat, "everyone" to understand that they wander off the path and need to return. In the story he's making this point to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. In our own day he is making that point to us. You see, the older brother represents the group of people who believe they are righteous, and they may very well be, but they too stray. In this story the older brother strays because he has made himself judge, arbitrator, and jury when it comes to determining his brother's acceptance back to the family. He takes this position because he has been living rigtheously since childhood and his brother has not.
This story is relevant for us today because sometimes we become the older brother. When we hear the story there is a natural tendency to see ourselves as the younger brother, and that's ok since we admit our faults when we do that. It is rare when we see ourselves as the older brother, but we do.
There are times that those of us who do attend mass, help out quite often in the Church, who pray regularly, and that do many other things will at times make harsh remarks about those who do not attend mass, who do not pray as much as we do, etc. They are the younger brother. What would we do if someone was accepted back into the Church and then the priest held a party for that someone who was living the type of life that young man in the Gospel story was living? Would we rejoice or would we be upset, since we have been doing the work the whole time and the priest rewards this person who was living in debauchery? What if we have been working in the parish for 30 years and never were given a party and then all of the sudden here comes the sinner returning home and on that very day a celebration takes place. You can see why the older brother was unhappy. We are that older brother sometimes whether we admit or not.
Though the older brother is upset the great thing here is that the Father loves them both, the Father tells the older son, "Everything that I have is yours." He loves both of his sons. That is a metaphor for God loving all His children regardless if they have strayed and returned home or if they have been with Him for a long time. The story also shows the eternal patience God has for all of us. I mean really, who else could put up with us so patiently?
The story was told 2,000 years ago though it is still relevant for us now, because when Jesus told it He was telling an eternal story, the thesis of mankind's relationship with God and God's with us, a story of straying away from Him, but also a story of returning home!
Fr. John Picinic
Picture of "The Prodigal Son" is by Rembrandt and found online
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