The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found".The Pharisees and the scribes complain about Jesus showing mercy to tax collectors and sinners, so Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son to highlight the obligation of mercy.
Lk.15:31,32
I have heard this parable called the most miss-named parable in the Bible, that it is really a story about the resentful brother. It is not so much a story about reckless spending as it is about miserly mercy.
The younger brother still holds on to his son-ship when he calls out to his father. The older son calls himself a slave and so distances himself from his brother and, more tragically, from his father. Resentment does that. It builds a fence out of all the rules and regulations, isolating itself from everyone.
Mercy jumps over the fence and rushes out into the street, uncaring about its loss of dignity. It embraces, lavishing undeserved love upon the sinner. Oh how I have been all three of these characters at some stage of my life. The repentant, undeserving son. The resentful, judgmental brother. Even the grace-filled merciful father which is surely who I am called by God to be.
Jesus, source of all mercy, help me tear down the fence of judgement I build around myself and make me a generous dispenser of mercy.
Little Flower, please pray for me.
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