In today’s gospel, we hear the famous story of the prodigal son. A rich man has two sons, and his youngest son asks his father for his inheritance money early. The father graciously grants his request, and the younger son goes off to a distant land to spend the money on sinful pleasures. In a short time, he runs out of money and there is a famine that occurs in the land. Consequently, the young man hires himself out to tend pigs just so he can eat with them. The young man realizes that his father’s servants are treated much better than this so he resolves to go back and work for his father. However, when he gets home, his father runs out to meet him, welcomes him back as his son, and throws a party to celebrate his return. The older son who just came back from the fields, hears of his brother’s return, and will not enter the house out of jealousy. He had never received a feast from his father even though he had never left the father. The story ends without a resolution, just with the father exhorting the older son to come celebrate, and we do not know his answer.
This is intentional. Jesus tells this story to the Scribes and the Pharisees who are complaining about and judging Jesus, the sinners, and tax collectors with whom Jesus was teaching and dining. The Scribes and the Pharisees are the older sons of Israel who have always stayed true to God in practice while the tax collectors and sinners are the younger sons who are returning to God in their hearts. Jesus is inviting them into the celebration of the repentant sinners. It is up to the Scribes and Pharisees to make their decision on whether or not they want to enter into the joy.
But we learn so much more from this story other than the challenge that Jesus gives to the older sons of Israel. The first thing that we learn is that God chooses to reveal Himself as a compassionate and loving father. He provides for his two sons (all of us), and when they reject him to the point of saying that he is dead to them, he does not respond with wrath. He only continues the extended invitation of being a father, protector, and giver of good things to them. God does not push beyond the level of invitation, because love cannot be forced. He allows his sons to make their own decisions and experience the consequences so that they can freely choose to return to Him when the time comes.
Second, leaving God cuts us off from blessing. The younger son leaves his father, quickly runs out of money, and a famine occurs. The older son cuts himself off from the father’s blessing when he refuses to go in and celebrate with his younger brother. God is the source of all blessings, and when we choose to leave Him because of our attachments to physical pleasures or our attachment to our pride, we reject His blessings.
Finally, when we (the sons) are absorbed in the things of this world, we miss the point of being in relationship with God. The son wants his father’s inheritance early, essentially saying that he would rather have the money than the father. The older son wants things to be ‘fair,’ essentially saying that he prefers His father’s gifts/praise rather than having the father himself. Both sons are slaves to idols other than their father; the younger to his pleasures and the older to his pride. But the Father is trying to communicate with each of them that the real treasure, the real desire of their hearts will all be fulfilled when they are all together in a loving relationship. The other benefits are additional and secondary.
This provides the challenge to each of us: Do we care more about the rewards of being in relationship with God, rather than the relationship itself? Do we see a relationship with God as the means to a selfish end? Do we just go to mass or pray because we are told this is what will get us to heaven or makes us a good catholic? Do we treat God as a vending machine in the sky that if we put in the time, He will give us whatever we want? Do we take pride that we are better at being in relationship with God than other people? If we answer yes to any, most, or all of these questions, then we need to reorient our hearts to God Himself, rather than His benefits or our prideful ambition.
The story of the prodigal son is so famous because it has something that speaks to nearly all people. It has people in various stages of their spiritual development with whom we can identify. But more than what the parable can tell us about our hearts is that it shows us the perfect love of God who will do whatever it takes to welcome us back to Him. He gives us freedom, He does not hold grudges, and He celebrates our reconciliation with Him. He opens His arms wide, despite what it may cost Him, hoping that one day we choose Him over the things He gives us. Because when we choose Him first, we have no need for anything else. We have no need to judge others. We only have the joy of being in a loving relationship with our Father and all His children, and that is our true fulfillment.
