The Prodigal Gospel

We’ve heard many reflections on the Prodigal Son, the humility of the returning son, the generosity of the Father. But the Gospel begins by telling us that “a father had two sons.” We must not forget to reflect on the actions and words of the elder son.

The Ammas and Abbas of the desert taught and practiced metanoia, the continually turning of one’s heart and soul towards God. The Prodigal Son demonstrates this aspect as well. The Elder son felt he had no need of such sentiments. “All these years, I have always obeyed your commands, and not one have I broken.” The Elder Son was unconscious because he forgot: love seeks reciprocity. The younger son learned this lesson, the hard way yes, but he could return and seek out the father. The Elder son did not seek out the Father. He only came to complain.

I’ve always been able to identify with the Elder son. Even as a young child, it was hard to read of the prodigal son returning after behaving in such a ghastly manner and being treated like a prince. In my heart, I too felt that such treatment was overdone. It made remaining faithful seem less noble, or so I thought?

But God doesn’t seek faithfulness so much as He seeks reciprocity. To give back, we must first realize where we stand. No amount of good deeds or obedience can give us righteousness before God. He seeks a “humble and contrite heart”. The elder son is guilty of the blindness many of us live with. And it isn’t the blindness that is debilitating…it is the insistence that we need nothing.

Paul speaks of the “new creation”. Like metanoia, the new creation is not something we can do once, and it is done. Conversion isn’t a one time act, setting us forevermore in the proper stance. As humans, we do fail, we do need, we do seek. Perhaps the words of the Elder, “and you have not so much as given me a calf to celebrate with my friends” tells us the true problem. The elder son wasn’t looking to be with the father. He looked to celebrate with his friends. He felt no need of his father, because he had obeyed all the commands. Had he sought the father, seeking to know him better, he too could have joined in the celebration, because we all need to come back to life. But we first must be conscious of our need to return; we must want to be with the Father.