Jesus told this story to teach us about God's love and forgiveness:

Just imagine: the younger son was asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive. It was almost like saying he wished his father were already dead, as long as he got the money right away. It was a selfish, disrespectful request. But the father, though it hurt him, gave his son what he asked for.

A few days later, the younger son gathered everything he had and set off for a faraway land. He left home, far from his father and his family. He wanted to be "free", to live his own way, with no one to tell him what to do.

And there, in that faraway land, he wasted his whole fortune, spending without a thought.

He spent it all on parties, amusements, and pleasures, everything money could buy. As long as he had money, he had "friends" all around him, for everyone wanted to be near the rich young man. But the money did not last forever. Soon it was all gone.

When the money ran out, a great famine also came upon that land, and the young man began to be in need. His "friends" all disappeared. With no money, nobody wanted him around. He was alone and hungry.

He went looking for work, and the only job he found was feeding pigs for one of the people of that country.

He was so hungry that he longed to eat the pigs' food. And for a Jew, tending pigs was the most humiliating thing there was, because pigs were considered unclean animals. The son who had squandered a fortune was now going hungry in a pigsty, staring at the animals' food.

It was then that the son came to his senses. He thought:

He repented. He saw how foolish he had been, and he admitted that he had sinned against heaven, that is, against God, and against his father. He did not even hope to be received as a son, for he thought he did not deserve it. He only planned to ask to be treated as one of the hired servants; that way, at least, he would have food.

So he got up and took the road home.

While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. For the father had been waiting. Day after day he watched the road, longing for his son to come back. And when at last he caught sight of him:

The father ran. Imagine an old, respectable man lifting up his robe and running down the road. It was not a dignified thing for a man of his position, but he did not care. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him, before the young man could say a single word.

The son began the speech he had prepared:

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son..."

But the father did not even let him finish. He would not hear of treating him like a servant. He called his servants and gave orders:

The best robe, a ring, shoes: these were marks of honor, not of a servant. The father was giving his son back his place in the family. The ring showed trust. The shoes showed he was a free son, not a slave. And he even ordered a feast, killing the fatted calf, the best animal, saved for the greatest occasions.

But the story does not end here. Remember, there was another son?

The older son was out in the field. When he came back and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what was going on.

"Your brother has come home," the servant answered, "and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has him back safe and sound."

The older son was furious and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him, but the older son replied:

The older son was full of anger and resentment. Notice that he did not say "my brother"; he said "this thy son", as if he did not even want to admit they were brothers. He thought he deserved more, because he had always obeyed, and he was jealous of his father's kindness.

The father answered with love:

The father called the older one "son" and reminded him that the other was "thy brother", showing that both were equally loved. It was not a question of deserving or not deserving. It was joy, because someone who was lost had been found; someone who seemed dead had come back to life.

God is like that father: always waiting, watching the road, ready to run to meet us when we return to Him sorry for what we have done. His forgiveness does not come by halves, or loaded with conditions; it comes whole, generous, with a feast. And the parable also invites us not to be like the older son, jealous of the mercy God shows to others, for every one of us needs it.

The name "prodigal son" means the son who wasted everything. But deep down, this parable could be called "The Loving Father", because above all it speaks of the father's extraordinary love.