The Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son, is one of the most touching parables of Lord Jesus. The accent when it is called like this falls on the son and his conversion process. When the accent is on the father it is called The Loving Father.
It appears only in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:11-32). A son of a rich father asks for his inheritance. The father concedes this request. He was the younger son of two. After wasting his fortune in bad deeds, he goes hungry during a famine. He gets a job taking care of pigs and stealing their food. “Entering in himself”, some translate ‘comming to his sense’s, but that really falls short to the deep meaning of the introspection and convertion he prodigal son went through. He then decides to return home asking forgiveness, and begging to be employed and renouncing his kinship to his father. The father happily welcomes him back as his son and holds a feast to celebrate his return.
In the Gospel according to Saint Luke, we read:
” [11] And he said: A certain man had two sons: [12] And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion that I would inherit. And he divided betwen them his substance. [13] And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there wasted his inheritance, living riotously. [14] And after he had spent it all, there came a great famine in that country; and he began to be in want. [15] And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed pigs.
[16] And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave antything unto him. [17] And entering in himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father’ s house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger? [18] I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: [19] I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [20] And rising up he went to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him.
[21] And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. [22] But the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet: [23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: [24] Because this my son was dead, and has come to life again: was lost, and has been found. And they began to be merry.”
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