THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON
Sermon by Abbot Ieronymos, 12th February 2017
The second Sunday of the Triodion Ecclesiastical period that we entered last Sunday, is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. From this parable we can obtain a lot of meanings and a lot of things which apply to our lives. Actually, if you think about it, everyone could find himself in this parable in one way or another.
Today, what I want to tell you and focus on, is this small phrase which says somewhere in the middle of the Gospel reading that: the prodigal son, after he went away, spent everything, ended up with nothing and was hungry, “he came to himself”. He came to himself, and he decided that it was time for him to go back to his father. This is a very important phrase, and it applies to every one of us.
Let’s suppose we ask ourselves, “Why was it that the prodigal son went away from his father?”, “Why didn’t he come to himself earlier, so that he wouldn’t have to go away and instead remain with his father?” I was thinking of a thing or two which most likely kept him from coming to himself and realising that he was not doing the right thing. He was not humble enough and he was not obedient.
If he was humble enough, first of all he wouldn’t have asked for his inheritance. It says in the Gospel that he went to his father, and he said to him: “give me whatever you are supposed to give me”. If he was humble enough, he wouldn’t have thought that his father owes him anything. Whatever his father was going to give him, he didn’t work for.
Not only was he proud, he was also disobedient. Obviously, the prodigal son was not obedient to his father. If he was obedient, he would have stayed with his father, he would have followed his example and he wouldn’t have gone away and spend everything his father created.
But he had to go away, live the way he lived, spend everything and he then came to himself. Why? What happened? He became hungry. He came to himself only when he lost even the basics. Everything.
Most of the times in our lives, if we don’t realise and if we don’t understand that what we are doing is wrong, then God allows us to go through certain difficulties, to go through certain circumstances. Then by going through these obstacles, even if we don’t want to, we do realise what is going on. This is what happened with him, and after his sin he goes back, and he is not proud anymore. He goes back to his father, and he says to him: “I have sinned in front of you and in front of God”. And he takes it even further by asking his father: “make me one of your hired servants”. It was like saying to him, from now on I will be obedient to you to the point that I will be serving you as one of your hired servants.
What was it that made him come to himself? The prodigal son, although he was prodigal, he had something good inside him. And this something good inside him, was actually from his father. When he came to himself, he decided to go back. He knew, that by going back he was going to find this unconditional love that his father showed him all these years. Even to the point that he gave him his inheritance and he wasted it. His father loved him unconditionally. His father loved him without making the prodigal son feel that he owed him anything. His father gave him everything and he was not expecting anything in return.
This is something that we all have to think about. Especially the fathers that are here today or even the ones that are going to become fathers sooner or later. We have to show our children as they grow this unconditional love. We have to tell them what the right thing is and what the wrong thing is. At the same time the children have to have these good things that the prodigal son had inside him. The children need to have good memories from our families. The children need to know that the door of the parents is always open. The children need to know that even if they sin, even if they do bad things, there is always a place back home, there is always a place back home expecting them to come back, there is always a place back home which is happy to receive them back.
If we do this, then our children, even if they go away and do bad things (something we would never wish to happen anyone), they will know that when they are ready, when they come to themselves, there is somewhere to go. There is somewhere to live. There is a place open for them to be received. Someone loves them!
Today, what I want to tell you and focus on, is this small phrase which says somewhere in the middle of the Gospel reading that: the prodigal son, after he went away, spent everything, ended up with nothing and was hungry, “he came to himself”. He came to himself, and he decided that it was time for him to go back to his father. This is a very important phrase, and it applies to every one of us.
Let’s suppose we ask ourselves, “Why was it that the prodigal son went away from his father?”, “Why didn’t he come to himself earlier, so that he wouldn’t have to go away and instead remain with his father?” I was thinking of a thing or two which most likely kept him from coming to himself and realising that he was not doing the right thing. He was not humble enough and he was not obedient.
If he was humble enough, first of all he wouldn’t have asked for his inheritance. It says in the Gospel that he went to his father, and he said to him: “give me whatever you are supposed to give me”. If he was humble enough, he wouldn’t have thought that his father owes him anything. Whatever his father was going to give him, he didn’t work for.
Not only was he proud, he was also disobedient. Obviously, the prodigal son was not obedient to his father. If he was obedient, he would have stayed with his father, he would have followed his example and he wouldn’t have gone away and spend everything his father created.
But he had to go away, live the way he lived, spend everything and he then came to himself. Why? What happened? He became hungry. He came to himself only when he lost even the basics. Everything.
Most of the times in our lives, if we don’t realise and if we don’t understand that what we are doing is wrong, then God allows us to go through certain difficulties, to go through certain circumstances. Then by going through these obstacles, even if we don’t want to, we do realise what is going on. This is what happened with him, and after his sin he goes back, and he is not proud anymore. He goes back to his father, and he says to him: “I have sinned in front of you and in front of God”. And he takes it even further by asking his father: “make me one of your hired servants”. It was like saying to him, from now on I will be obedient to you to the point that I will be serving you as one of your hired servants.
What was it that made him come to himself? The prodigal son, although he was prodigal, he had something good inside him. And this something good inside him, was actually from his father. When he came to himself, he decided to go back. He knew, that by going back he was going to find this unconditional love that his father showed him all these years. Even to the point that he gave him his inheritance and he wasted it. His father loved him unconditionally. His father loved him without making the prodigal son feel that he owed him anything. His father gave him everything and he was not expecting anything in return.
This is something that we all have to think about. Especially the fathers that are here today or even the ones that are going to become fathers sooner or later. We have to show our children as they grow this unconditional love. We have to tell them what the right thing is and what the wrong thing is. At the same time the children have to have these good things that the prodigal son had inside him. The children need to have good memories from our families. The children need to know that the door of the parents is always open. The children need to know that even if they sin, even if they do bad things, there is always a place back home, there is always a place back home expecting them to come back, there is always a place back home which is happy to receive them back.
If we do this, then our children, even if they go away and do bad things (something we would never wish to happen anyone), they will know that when they are ready, when they come to themselves, there is somewhere to go. There is somewhere to live. There is a place open for them to be received. Someone loves them!