The Brother of the Prodigal Son
By Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol
By Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is enough in itself to teach us the whole mystery of the Father's divine love and the way of salvation and of the return of people to God. Thus, usually, greater importance is given to the prodigal son and the way of his salvation, but also to the presence of the Father, who with His ineffable fatherly love accepts his prodigal son back. However, the other son, the prodigal's brother, remains on the sidelines, without anyone dealing with him. When I therefore hear this parable, my mind remains on this type of man, because I feel that we "religious" people are most like him.
We are in danger from the syndrome of this man. It is a great danger that lurks for all of us. In the Gospel, the eldest son is mentioned in a few words.
When the prodigal son returned and was welcomed by his father and ordered that the best robe be brought to clothe him, and that the fattened calf be sacrificed and that there should be joy and gladness in the house, because the prodigal was like a dead man who has survived, who was lost and is now found, the parable continues: “Now his elder son was in the field.”
