Lenten Reflections

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By Julia Smith ’25

The Gospel reading today is from Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, probably one of the most well known Gospel passages: the Prodigal Son. There are so many good messages from this passage, but I really like reflecting on the younger son’s journey back to his father.

After getting the inheritance that was set aside for him, the younger son sets off to a distant country and spends all of the money he was given. He had no money left, so he hired himself out to one of the local people to tend for their pigs. He thought back to how happy and well fed his father’s workers were, so he decided to go back to hire himself out to his father, even if his father never accepted him as his son again. The son realized that his basic needs could not be fulfilled without returning to his father. I think it is so profound that the son was willing to take a pitiful position if it meant that he could be in the presence of his father again.

I think that we can all learn from the example of the younger son in recognizing that we cannot be whole again until we are united with our Father. Any time we get to spend in the presence of the Father is so nourishing for our spiritual lives, and he calls us to his heavenly feast every day. During this Lenten season, we are all invited to go back to our Father’s house and be nourished to prepare for his big Easter feast in just a few short weeks!