All I have is yours

(Lk 15:1-32)

 This Sunday we have one of the great foundational stories told by Our Blessed Lord. It is the story of the prodigal son. If you look up a dictionary you will discover that “prodigal” means to be wasteful of one’s means; squandering or lavish. It can mean that someone is a waster or a spendthrift. Reading the story you can see how this so easily applies to the younger son in the parable. But you could also say that it applies to the Father in the story.

In the story we meet a father who gives all his time and never resents being asked. You could say that he is made a fool of by the younger son. But the father never complains, he gives. He waits for the younger son’s return. He is an old man and he understands the enthusiasm of youth. He knows his son. He knows that all that the money will bring is sadness and he waits. The son returns and he is welcomed home.

When the older brother objects to his father’s foolish generosity, the father invites his older son to understand his goodness and forgiveness. He then says a line to the older brother which I think in many ways sums up the entire Christian message. “All I have is yours”.

In Jesus, the Heavenly Father has given us his everything. In Jesus, the Father invites us to live in the Holy Communion of the Blessed Trinity. When we have Jesus in the centre of our lives we can then understand the goodness and generosity of God the Father.

Don’t model your lives on the two sons in today’s Gospel but on the Father. The younger son takes advantage of his father’s goodness and squanders his wealth. For us, we must accept the Father’s foolish generosity in giving us Jesus. But do not throw Jesus away in a useless way of life.  Place Jesus at the centre of your life.  Each day spend time with him in prayer.  Open yourself to this wonderful gift.

But do not be like the older brother either. Rejoice in the goodness of God.  Praise Him for his kindness and generosity, for his mercy and faithfulness.  Accept Jesus into your life and learn from him how to be as generous and self-giving as God himself.  For it is in giving that we receive.  The more we give ourselves to God the more we receive back of Himself.  For all he has, he has given to us.

Accept this great gift of Jesus into your life, daily.

Fr. John Harris OP