“Then He said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ So he divided his estate between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together, and journeyed to a distant country, and there squandered his possessions in prodigal living. When he had spent everything, there came a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and hired himself to a citizen of that county, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. He would gladly have filled his stomach with the husks that the swine were eating, but no one gave him any. When he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, and here I am perishing with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he arose and came to his father.” (rf. Lk. 15:11-20 MEV)
Home is a treasured place for most of us. It is where we can come and truly be ourselves with no airs of greatness and no need to impress others. We can be who we are at heart, knowing that those with us understand and accept us completely (“warts and all”, as the old saying goes). Home has a strong pull on us when we are away visiting others for business or pleasure, when normal life is interrupted by significant events that cause us to go away for a time. When we are away for such reasons, we begin to experience a longing, a yearning for home, a strong and growing desire to return to the place where we are most comfortable and most loved.
This is how God eventually brought conviction to the Prodigal Son. He found himself vying for food with swine and new in his heart that there must be something better for him. Then he remembered home. Even if it meant the loss of his position as son, he was willing to become a slave in his father’s house if that resulted in his being home. What he found on his return was a welcome much more than he ever could have imagined (rf. Lk. 15:21-32).
As followers of Christ, we have “home” calling in our hearts. We already have a home with Almighty God in heaven prepared for us (rf. Jn. 14:2-3). We have been called to work in His fields, caring for His sheep, growing in our own understanding and faith in the one True Shepherd. We have been told to continue this process of maturing in our faith until He calls us home to be with Him forever. Therefore, until we are called home, let us look forward to that day and fulfill His will in the light of knowing we will be in His Presence and experiencing His love for eternity.
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