NO GREATER LOVE: THE PRODIGAL SON

A parable which Pope Benedict examines in Jesus of Nazareth, is “The Prodigal Son”. Discussing the younger son who runs away from home, Pope Benedict tells us: The son journeys "into a far country." The Church Fathers read this above all as interior estrangement from the world of the father---the world of God---as interior rupture of relation, as the great abandonment of all that is authentically one's own. The· Son squanders his inheritance. He just wants to enjoy himself. He wants to scoop life out till there is nothing left. He wants to have “life in abundance" as he understands it. He no longer wants to be subject to any commandment, any authority. He seeks radical freedom. He wants to live only for himself, free of any other claim. He enjoys life; he feels that he is completely autonomous. The younger son breaks away from his human father and ultimately from God. Yet he does come back. How does this happen? 

The parable of The Prodigal Son is the third of three parables given in Luke Chapter 15. The chapter begins with the Pharisees and scribes complaining that Jesus associates and even eats with sinners. (Lk 15;1-2) Through three parables, the Lord tells them that he associates with sinners in order to bring those who have gone astray back to God. The first parable (Lk 15:3-7) tells of a man who has 100 sheep but loses one, leaves the 99, goes to find the one sheep, and rejoices and has a party with his friends when he finds it. The second parable (Lk 15:8-10) tells of a woman who has ten silver coins. She loses one and searches the house until she finds it. She then has a party with her friends and neighbors to rejoice over the coin she has found. In both parables, the Lord tells us that the lost sheep and the lost coin stand for sinners who have repented. (Lk 15:7, Lk 15:10) Both parables tell us that repenting of sin is equivalent to being “found” by God. However, how does one repent? The third parable in Luke 15, the parable of the Prodigal Son, (Lk 15:11-32) tells us how to repent. 

The parable of the Prodigal Son starts with the younger of two sons demanding from his father his share of his father’s property. (Lk 15:11-12) Why did he do this? The parable does not say. However, when the son left for a far country, it tells us that he spent the money on “loose living” (Lk 15:13) and “harlots” (Lk 15:30) The issue probably was sexual freedom and also a rejection of the authority of his father and ultimately the authority of God as Pope Benedict tells us. The younger son certainly left home with lots of anger, resentment, and bitterness against his father and probably his whole family. The human father could have refused to give the younger son his share since the father knew what the son would do with the money. The wise human father knew that withholding the inheritance would not bring the younger son to repentance but would only drive him further away. The father also gave the older son who did not leave his share of the inheritance. The father was just to both his sons. When the younger son left home, he expelled both his father and God from his life. Neither his father nor God abandoned him.

The father certainly hoped and prayed for his son, but God “went searching” for the younger son through the famine which came to the “far country” after the younger son has squandered his inheritance. The famine which came to the “far country” and reduced the younger son to have to feed swine (a degrading thing for anyone but especially a Jew) could be thought of as a punishment for the younger son. It was also a grace for the purpose of bringing the younger son to repentance. One can see the elements of a sacramental confession as the younger son decides to go home. He first needed to let go of his anger and bitterness against his father and his family. 

He realized the futility of his longing for autonomy and “freedom”. He had many friends when he was in the money, but where are they now when he is in dire need? He could see that the attractiveness of sin was a phony attraction which does not satisfy but leaves one empty. He then starts to see how good he had it when he was at home. “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!” (Lk 15:17) He then resolves to go home and make a verbal confession to his father. He plans to say to his father, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” (Lk 15:18-19) Just like a sacramental confession to a priest, the younger son is sorry for and repents verbally of his rebellion against his father. Like a sacramental confession, he is also willing to do a “penance”. He wants to be treated like a hired hand rather than a son. In this way he will begin to pay back his father for squandering his property. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Lk 15:21)

We should note that the son recognized that his first offence was against God and then against his father. He recognized that the human authority of his father, against which he had rebelled, ultimately comes from God. Some teachers say that the repentance of the younger son was not initially genuine. He was only trying get a better living situation than what he had in the “far country”. This is not convincing since there are many places where the son could have gone other than his fathers house. He had to humble himself before the father but also face the derision of his older brother (Lk 15:28-30) and possibly his fellow servants. 

When his human father saw his younger son approaching, he did not wait around for a lengthy apology and confession. Knowing the unfortunate circumstances of his son’s departure, his younger son’s return was convincing proof that he had truly repented. Just like the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the father throws a party. (Lk 15:22-24) Why did the father throw a party when his wayward son returns? “[F]or this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” (Lk 15:24) One can easily see the connection between the human father declaring his son as being “found” and the finding of the lost sheep and the lost coin. The man who lost his sheep, the woman who lost her coin, and the father who lost his son all stand for God. While the human father did not physically go out to search for his son, God certainly did. The younger son’s loss of his money and the famine in the “far country” was God calling to him. The younger son could have hardened himself in his pride and refused God’s call to return home. Instead, he listened and returned home. The human father also referred to his younger son as “dead” but is now alive. We see this idea that sin is death echoed in the writings of St. Paul. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) The younger son experienced death in his sin but chose life instead. 

At the end of the parable, we read that the older son, who never left home, resented the father throwing a party for the younger son. “Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!” (Lk 15:29-30) The older son’s anger reflects the very human tendency to see one part of a story but ignore the rest. The older son also received his share of the inheritance, which was probably larger than the younger son. Also, the older son was first in line to get control of the property and servants when the father died. The father hints at this when he says “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” (Lk 15:31) The older son was getting what was his. He failed to see his father’s joy at having his “dead” and “lost” son back. (Lk 15:32) He did not see God’s viewpoint. He only saw the arrogance of his younger brother demanding his inheritance early and then leaving abruptly. He did not see the courage and humility of his brother’s return. He also did not see his brother’s starvation and destitution when feeding the swine in the “far country”. Those of us who have not gone to the “far country” of estrangement from God should not envy those who do. The parable does not tell us whether or not the older son joined in his father’s party. However, when our Heavenly Father invites us to a party, we should surely go. 

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Lord points out to us the importance of the sacramental confession (reconciliation). Even if we do not go all the way to the “far country”, we are still drawn to it because of its false attractiveness. We constantly need to follow in the footsteps of the younger son in repenting of our sin both inwardly but also outwardly like the son did to his father and we can do to a priest. We also need to be willing to do penance for our sin just like the younger son. The Lord assures us we will be welcomed back. – Jim Nugent, CFP