This scriptural parable is perhaps the most fluent example on repentance. “There was a man who had two sons”. The young one wanted his pleasures which can’t be fulfilled without money. His only source is his share from the heritage. He requested his share from his father and got it. This part from the heritage contains many things including money. He took it and traveled to a far country and lived with this money in “wild living”. This is what his self-wanted since leaving home.
There was a severe famine in that country. Who would feed him after spending all his money? He had to work, so he looked for a job in that exile. The job was to feed pigs, and eating pigs is forbidden in Moses’ Law. The word indicates the impurity that this young man drowned into. It seems that his wage was small and he couldn’t feel satiation.
Then, his feelings were moved and he remembered his father knowing that he would welcome him and feed him after his hunger. “I will set out and go back to my father”. Rising from sin was the first movement, and the second one was: “I go back to my father” and confess to him with my sins. The first sin was leaving the paternal home which necessarily leads to being thrown into the bosom of adulteresses. However, the complete salvation from sin needs a verbal confession. I shall say to my father: “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants”. He walked for a long way and “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him”.
I imagine the father standing daily for a long time on one of the house’s roofs being told by his heart that his lost son must come back. The father didn’t say a word of blame. He didn’t tell him that leaving home causes danger after this leaving, and there were two dangers: hunger and dissipation. The father expressed his yearning to his son not only through the act of the hug and kiss but also through a tangible way as he put on him the best robe, a ring in his hand and sandals on his feet and he slaughtered the fattened calf for him saying to his servants: “this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”.
The older son felt sad towards this reception because his father distinguished the repenting sinner over his son that didn’t commit any sin and didn’t violate any order from his father; so the latter told him: “we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”.
The real story in the whole story is that of the affectionate father that embraces to his bosom the thankless son and maintains the obeying son that has a stainless life. The quality is in the father and he is the one that has tenderness.
While progressing towards the blessed Lent, the Church reminded us that the essence of the Lent is repentance and that we should ask for this in all the days of this great struggle in order to be worthy to see the Great Friday and the day of Resurrection.
The Lord is ready to receive you in his mercy if you were a sinner, and if he embraced you to him you will feel his tenderness and nothing will take you away from this tenderness. And if you felt this strongly you would be close to a sincere deep repentance and you would not leave the house of your heavenly Father which is his love and you would get used to this love that would increase in you day after day if you persisted in praying especially in the coming Lent.
Translated by Mark Najjar
Original Text: “الابن الشاطر” –Raiati 07- 12.02.2012
