Q. Who is the prodigal son in the famous parable from Luke 15:11-32?
Is it me?
When I had my conversion back to the Catholic Church, I realized that I was the prodigal son. I was the younger brother who went off to a foreign land (Lk 15:11-13). I had squandered the gifts God had given me in a life of debauchery while playing college golf in California (Lk 15:13-14). And I had experienced the “great famine” of life apart from God for 5 years (Lk 15:-15-16).
When I returned home as the prodigal son and went to Confession, I expected to be treated no longer as a son but a “hired servant” (Lk 15:19). I thought the rest of my life would be filled with shame and regret for what I had done. But what I experienced was the scandalous compassion and life-changing mercy of God the Father (Lk 15:19-20). All of my sins are forgiven! Really!!?? Wow…
I was dead in sin and brought back to life. I was lost in life and found my vocation (Lk 15:24). Indeed, I was overwhelmed by the Father’s love and experienced Him literally putting “the best robe” of me during my ordination to the priesthood (Lk 15:21-24). Seriously, check out that “robe”…
But today, while writing this, I no longer feel like the prodigal son.
So, is it you?
Do you feel like the prodigal son? Do you feel like you have gone off to a far country away from the intimacy of God’s love? Do you feel like you have squandered your gifts and talents in life on yourself?
And now, you feel famished, starved, empty? Do you feel like if you told God all of your sins, He would be angry with you? or at least disappointed? Do you struggle to believe in God’s compassionate love and tender mercy?
If so, maybe you are the prodigal son…
But today, I want to offer another view on who the prodigal son is…
So, who is it?
Before I answer. Let us think about the setting of this parable.
“Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable…” (Lk 15:1-2).
Jesus had already been condemned by the Scribes and Pharisees as a “glutton” and “drunkard” (Mt 11:19, Lk 7:34) who regularly engaged in gratuitous consumption (Lk 15:1-2). Furthermore, like the younger son in the parable, Jesus had ‘abandoned’ his father’s house and trade, “squandered his property in loose living” (Luke 15:13), associated with sinful women (Lk 15:30, cf. Lk 7:36-50, Mt 21:31, Prov 29:3), and even encouraged others to do likewise (cf. Mk 10:21; 29, Mt 10:34-35).
In addition, Jewish scriptures associated excessive eating and drinking as a sign of rebellion against parents. In Deuteronomy 21:18-21, for example, the “stubborn and rebellious son” is brought before the elders of the town, accused of “drunkenness” and “gluttony,” and then stoned to death (21:20, cf. Matthew 24:48-49).
Therefore, the Scribes and Pharisees, with this text from Deuteronomy probably in their minds to justify their accusation, think that Jesus is the prodigal son.
Ironically, some of them might have thought that Jesus was making a confession about his sinful ways as he told them this parable…
As Jesus gets to the part of the return of the prodigal son, they probably thought that the parable would conclude with the father of the prodigal son acussing his of being a drunkard and a glutton and then stoning him to death. That was the custom, as explained in Deuteronomy. To them, Jesus is the prodigal son who needs to repent of his ways and return home to right living because he has “sinned against God” (cf. Lk 15:18).
But then Jesus gives a shocking twist to the parable.
The Father has compassion. He runs to embrace the son. He kisses him with tender love. He celebrates and throws the most lavish party ever.
So, does that mean Jesus is not the prodigal son? No…
Jesus is the Prodigal Son!
See, often, we can focus on ourselves as the prodigal son pre-conversion and God as the Father. Or ourselves as the older brother post-conversion and our need to celebrate when other prodigal sons come home. That is good. Keep reflecting on that. But today, I want to invite you to think of something else, especially in this season of Lent.
Jesus is not just showing us that His heavenly Father is prodigal in His love for us. Indeed, He is!
Since Jesus is also God, He is also showing His prodigal love for us. He is the Prodigal Son!
He freely left the comforts of His Father’s home and came into this “foreign country” of ours. He emptied Himself totally for us (cf. Phil 2:7), even to His last drop of blood on the Cross. He, the sinless One, was willing to be called a “glutton” and “drunkard” (Mt 11:19, Lk 7:34) to associate with us, the tax collectors and sinners. He did it all out of love. Crazy, radical, complete love.
Fulton Sheen understood then when he wrote…
The prodigal son is returning to His Father’s house, for is not Christ the prodigal? Thirty-three years ago He left His Father’s eternal mansion and went off into the foreign country of this world. Then He began spending Himself and being spent; dispensing with an infinite prodigality the divine riches of power and wisdom, and bestowing with a heavenly liberality the divine gifts of pardon and mercy. In this last hour, His whole substance is wasted among sinners, for He is giving the last drop of His precious blood for the redemption of the world. There is nothing to feed upon except the husks of human sneers, and the vinegar and gall of bitter human ingratitude. He now prepares to take the road back to His Father’s house, and when, yet some distance away, He sees the face of His Heavenly Father, He breaks out into the last and perfect prayer from the pulpit of the Cross: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (The 7 Last Words).
Prodigal Catholic 
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