July 6th, 2021: We are Prodigal


I was talking to some friends yesterday about the prodigal son's story in the Bible as we shared our experience in raising children. It is a parable that has been taught in churches often. Prodigal means wasteful extravagant.

The parable tells us that God (the Father) will welcome anyone of us back to his household if we come to terms with what we do and our human condition (sinner). We acknowledge then how we have wasted His blessings in our lives.

How have we done that?

Greed: when we are greedy, we overlook God's blessings. We say to God that what He has given us is not good enough. We want more. The desire to have more has been the foundation of many destructive temptations. Greed disregards the needs of others.

Pride: we can destroy many human relationships because of pride. Our pride tends to divide people and undermine what is beautiful in what we have with one another. It is the cancer that eats away intimacy and compassion. Pride is the reflection of our insecurity sometimes.

Indifference: as Mother Teresa once said, indifference is worse than hatred. When we allow indifference to enter our relationship with one another, we develop the callousness of our hearts. Our hearts are no longer in touch with the Heart of God. We can do some horrendous things then.

Luke 15: 11-32

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