The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most powerful and moving stories Our Lord ever told. No matter how many times we hear it, it still speaks to our hearts and draws us in because it captures the very heart of the spiritual journey.
So in the story, there’s a father and his two ungrateful sons. The younger son says, “Give me my share of the inheritance now.” What an awful thing to ask! These words must have felt like a knife to the father’s heart. After all, when does a son usually receive an inheritance? When the father has died.
So, in a way, the son is saying, “I wish you were dead.” We might think, “I would never say something like that.” But don’t we sometimes act this way with God? We say, “I want things my way. I know what I need, and I want You to give it to me – now!” We might not say these words out loud, but our actions and attitudes can send that same message.
And how does the father respond? He doesn’t shout or say, “Get off my land, you ungrateful son!” Instead, he quietly gives the younger son what he asks for.
This shows us something important: God respects our freedom. Then the story tells us that the younger son travels far away. But where does he go? The original Greek means “a large, empty, open space,” a wasteland. That’s not just where he is physically, it also shows what his life has become.
In his father’s house, he had everything he needed. Now, he has nothing. He walked into emptiness. He thought money and freedom would make him happy. But after taking his father’s wealth, he ends up with nothing.
And after losing everything, the younger son becomes so desperate that he’s even willing to eat food meant for pigs. He has truly hit rock bottom, like being found by family, broken and lost in the streets. But strangely, hitting rock bottom becomes a blessing. For the first time, he sees the truth and he realises what his choices have done to him.
Still, the story doesn’t end there.
The real power of today’s Gospel isn’t in the son’s fall, but in his turning back. He sees the mess he’s made and realises a different life is possible. So, he decides to go home, expecting anger and punishment.
But then comes one of the most beautiful moments in Scripture. The father sees him from far away because he’s been watching, waiting. And what does he do? He runs to him. That’s extraordinary, because in Our Lord’s time, it was considered undignified for an old man to run. But not this father. He runs because love moves faster than dignity.
And so, why does the father run? What’s the Lord trying to show us in this parable?
It’s this: the Bible isn’t mainly about our search for God; it’s about God’s ongoing, relentless search for us. Yes, we do seek Him. We do long for Him. But even before any of that, God’s already seeking us. He’s already longing for you. No matter how far we’ve strayed or how low we’ve fallen, God desires nothing more than to welcome us back into His arms and restore our relationship with Him. That’s what He wants most. And He’ll go to any length to make it happen. Why? Because He wants us to truly see Him not as a distant figure, but as a Father full of mercy, full of tender love.
And this is why the Sacrament of Confession holds such a special place in my heart. I am sure we’ve all had moments when we’ve fallen short, when we’ve turned away from the Lord and chosen something else instead. And in doing so, we’ve felt the emptiness, the sadness, the weight of being apart from Him. But how many times have we returned, running back to God for mercy, only to discover that He was the one running toward us?
This is who our God is. This is the heart of Christianity: that in Christ, the Father never stops searching for us, longing for us to come home. We’ve heard this message of mercy so many times. Maybe it’s lost its depth for us. Maybe we’ve stopped believing it, or maybe we’ve just stopped caring.
But no matter where we are, His mercy is still there, always new, always ready. Will we run to the Lord and meet His embrace?
Fr Michael Boudaher is the Secretary General of the Maronite Eparchy of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, Director of the Maronite Catholic Centre for Evangelisation, and an Assistant Parish Priest at Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral, Harris Park.
