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Inspired by Scholastica 

The Prodigal Son 

One of my favorite stories in the Gospel is the one about the Prodigal Son. We know it so well: the younger son takes his inheritance and goes off and wastes it. Then he decides to come back and ask his father to forgive him. Even when the son was a long way off, the father sees him and comes to meet him. The son tries to apologize, but the father is so happy to have him back, he does not listen. 

It is hard to comprehend the mercy of the father. His heart must have ached for several years as he watched and waited for his wayward son to return. The father was sure he would return one day; he never gave up hope.  

When the father saw his son a long way off, he ran to meet him and embraced him warmly. The father told the servants to kill a fatted calf and prepare a special dinner with music and dancing.  

Unfortunately, the older brother stayed outside moping. When the father came to invite him in, he complained that he had worked hard every day, and he never got to invite his friends for a party. His father assured him that everything he had was his, but they must rejoice and celebrate his brother’s return.  

When I try to decide with which of the three characters I most identify, it is not the generous, forgiving father or the repentant son, but the jealous older brother who felt deprived. When I was growing up, I always thought my brother was treated better than I. And I think I ran off sometimes to get away from home. I wish I were more like the loving father, who welcomed his son back warmly and unquestioningly.  

The parable certainly shows us how God forgives and takes us back lovingly when we go astray. Nothing is too terrible that we will not be welcomed back with a warm embrace.  We need to try to be as forgiving as God is. 

Barbara Mayer, OSB 

 


 

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