A Clear and Comforting Guide for Anyone Seeking God’s Mercy and Understanding What Jesus Wanted Us to Learn
You are about to explore one of the most beloved stories Jesus ever told, a story that reaches straight into the heart of anyone who has ever felt lost, ashamed, or unsure of their place with God. We will walk together through the parable itself, see how the Catholic Church understands its meaning, and discover why Jesus chose this powerful story to reveal the Father’s love for all of us. As you read, you will notice how naturally the story speaks to your own experiences of wandering, longing, and returning. By the end, you should feel both grounded in its truth and lifted by its hope, just as the first listeners would have felt when Jesus spoke these words.
The parable of the prodigal son appears in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus presents a father with two sons. According to the text, the younger son asks his father for his share of the inheritance before the father’s death, a request that was culturally shocking because it implied that the son valued the father’s wealth more than the father himself (Luke 15:12). After receiving this inheritance, the son leaves home and travels far away, where he wastes everything through reckless living (Luke 15:13). When a severe famine strikes, he finds himself in deep poverty, so desperate that he takes work feeding pigs, a humiliating task for a Jewish audience who saw pigs as unclean animals (Luke 15:15). The story tells us that hunger becomes so severe he longs to eat the food meant for the pigs, but no one gives him anything (Luke 15:16).
At this point, he “comes to his senses” and decides to return home, not expecting restoration but only hoping to work as a servant, believing himself unworthy of sonship after what he had done (Luke 15:17–19). Yet Jesus describes the father in a completely unexpected way. Instead of anger, the father runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him before the son even finishes confessing his sins (Luke 15:20). The father then restores him fully, placing a robe on him, a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet—symbols of dignity, family identity, and freedom. He celebrates his return with a great feast, explaining to the household that “this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).
The older son, however, reacts differently. When he learns of the celebration, he becomes angry, refusing to join the feast. He complains that although he has stayed home, obeyed, and worked hard, he has never received such recognition. The father gently responds that everything he has belongs to the older son, but it is right to celebrate because the lost brother has returned (Luke 15:31–32).
The Catholic Church interprets this parable as a revelation of God’s boundless mercy. The younger son represents each of us when we distance ourselves from God through selfish choices, pride, or sin. When Jesus describes the younger son’s descent into misery, the Church sees the way sin gradually leads the human heart into spiritual emptiness and disconnection (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1439). You see the progression: first independence, then excess, then spiritual hunger, then despair. But the story does not end in despair. The moment the son turns around, the father is already on his way to meet him. This is the core of the Catholic interpretation—God is not waiting to punish us; He is waiting to embrace us the moment we begin returning to Him.
The father in the parable represents the Heavenly Father, not as a distant judge but as a loving parent whose compassion surpasses human expectations. His running toward the son breaks cultural norms of dignity for an elder Jewish man, and this detail highlights the urgency of God’s love. The robe, ring, and sandals symbolize the restoration of grace, identity, and spiritual inheritance. Through this, Jesus teaches that forgiveness is not just the removal of guilt but the restoration of relationship. The feast symbolizes the joy of heaven when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7).
The older son also plays an important role. The Church teaches that he represents those who may follow religious rules externally but allow resentment or self-righteousness to harden their hearts. His reaction warns us that it is possible to stay physically close to God yet be spiritually distant through pride or lack of compassion. Jesus uses the older son to challenge anyone who feels superior to others or believes that righteousness earns God’s love rather than flows from it.
Jesus told this parable because He was speaking to an audience that included both sinners who longed for mercy and religious leaders who judged them. By using this story, Jesus reveals God’s heart toward repentant sinners and corrects the attitudes of those who believe God’s mercy should be restricted. The meaning is clear: no matter how far you feel from God, you can return; and no matter how long you have served God, you must keep a heart open to mercy.
This message is timeless because all of us have experienced seasons of wandering, seasons of resentment, and seasons of return. The story invites you to see yourself in the younger son’s desperation, in the older son’s frustration, or in the father’s compassion. Wherever you find yourself, the parable speaks life and direction.
As you reflect on this story, imagine yourself standing before the Father with nothing in your hands except honesty and a desire to come home. You may feel unworthy or ashamed, but the Father is already running toward you with open arms. Let this truth settle in your heart. Your failures do not define you, your past does not trap you, and your Heavenly Father has never stopped watching for your return. As you embrace that reality, let your life become a celebration of grace, a reminder to others that God restores, renews, and rejoices over His children. Let this parable inspire you to walk with courage, humility, and hope, knowing that you are fully loved and always welcome in the Father’s house.
References
Holy Bible (Book) 1995, The New Revised Standard Version, HarperCollins, New York.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (Book) 1994, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City.
Wright, N.T. (Book) 1996, Jesus and the Victory of God, SPCK, London.
Brown, R.E. (Book) 1997, An Introduction to the New Testament, Yale University Press, New Haven.
Malloy, P. (Article) 2017, ‘Mercy and the Prodigal Son’, America Magazine, available on website: https://www.americamagazine.org