The Boundless Mercy of God in the Parable of the Prodigal Son

03-30-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

In Today's Gospel, we have the story of the Prodigal Son, which presents us with an overwhelming picture of God who is all-loving, all-caring, and all-forgiving. This is the family story of the Prodigal Son, generally understood as the greatest short story in the world. The context of today's parable is very important. Jesus does not confront them directly but tells the story about a father who had two sons. Here both are seemingly lost: one has squandered the property, and the other has refused to love his brother. The central focus of the parable, however, remains on the Father throughout the story.

The sons are also important, but in a different way. At the beginning of the story, we see that the younger son is the bad boy, very much similar to the tax collectors and sinners who are listening to him. The elder son, the good boy, matches up well with the scribes and Pharisees who are also in his audience.

In the parable, we are given a most beautiful description of our heavenly Father. When the younger son returns home, his father runs to him, clasps him in his arms, and kisses him tenderly. He brings him in and throws a party for him. When we return to God, He throws a party for us too. Not only does the father come out of the house once when he sees his older son angry, but he comes out a second time to try to persuade him to come into the house. In the same way, our heavenly Father comes out to welcome each of us to His party. The most beautiful line in the parable is what the father says to the elder son: "All I have is yours." Our heavenly Father says the same to us: "All I have is yours."

The prodigal son did not get the full opportunity to express to his father that he would become a paid servant. The Father immediately readmits him as part of the family and gives the order to bring the robe, the ring, sandals, and to kill the fatted calf for a celebration. The younger son, in reality, had a warped notion of his father's forgiveness. He had no understanding of what mercy really means, but now he learns the depth of the love of the Father.

The elder son also did not understand what forgiveness and love meant. He could not forgive his younger brother for his misdeeds. In this parable, Jesus teaches us the depth of the generosity of God and His mercy.

The parable of the Prodigal Son indicates that we do have the opportunity to make a change. We do not have to stay in our hopeless state; we can come to ourselves. The lost son realized that in his father's house, there was sustenance for him. He humbled himself, willing, if necessary, to be his father's servant, and started back home. This turning in our lives is the first indication of God's love for us.

This parable makes it clear that God is at work. The fact that the father is able to see the younger son while he is still a long way off shows that the father has been watching for his son, waiting for him, longing for him. When we come to Him, He washes away all our evil deeds of the past, not holding them against us.