A Loving FatherSample

One Father, Two Children

Jesus tells the parable of a father who had two sons. I imagine they lived in a big house, on their own land. One day, the youngest son asks his father for his part of the inheritance, who gives it to him, and after having collected everything, he leaves the house.

As an inexperienced young man, he spent everything he had living hopelessly. When he lost everything, a great famine reached the province where he was, and as he had nothing, it began to affect him. Looking for a solution to his problem, the young man asked one of the citizens for work, who sent him to his farm to take care of the pigs.

His hunger was so great that he wanted to eat the food that was for pigs. It was then that he came to himself and thought: Even the workers in my father's house have plenty of bread and I'm here starving.

So, he decided to go back to his father to ask him to make him one of his workers. He started his journey, and as he was getting home, he saw his father in the distance, who ran towards him and wrapped his arms around him, full of joy. His youngest son, repentant, began to say the words that he had practiced, but his father interrupted him, ordering to bring clothes for him and threw a party celebrating that his little one had returned.

When the eldest son returned from the field heard the music of the party from outside. So, he asked the servants what was happening. When he knew the reason for the celebration, he became very angry and refused to enter. His father went to look for him and begged him to come in, but he responded by saying: I, who always obey you and work for you, have not received a single lamb to enjoy with my friends. Yet to this one who left and spent everything, now comes back, and make him a party, you even kill the fattest calf for him.

The father, understanding what he was saying, replied: You have always been with me and everything I have is yours, it’s more necessary to celebrate because we had lost your brother, but now he is alive.

Some of us have acted like the prodigal son, others like his older brother. The good news is that, for both children, there was always a father who loved and waited for them. We also have a loving father, but which son are you?