The prodigal son is one of my favorite parables. Not just because the story shows the mercy of God who is always willing to extend pardon to the contrite, but because of the aftermath. The faithful son is upset because the rogue son is rewarded (in his mind, anyway) for bringing scandal on the family. Why, complains this son, have you never done anything like that for me? I never did anything wrong. What a beautiful picture of the endless love of God in the exchange: of course the faithful son is affirmed! He is heir to all that is in his father’s possesion, and has not lost his place in his father’s heart. However, there is always plenty of love left to lavish on the ‘one who was dead, and now lives.’ There are times when I feel unworthy to be a child of God, safe on the Ark of the Church. After all, I was a rogue, devouring the love of God with harlotry, in love with the world. How incredible that God even bothered with me. Just as the loaves of bread multiplied with each one in need of food, so the mercy of God mulitiplies with each soul which turns to him in true contrition and repentance.