The Prodigal Son

Edward Villela (1960)

George Balanchine, choreographer

Once upon a time, a man had two sons. There was a good and dutiful son who did everything right and never bothered his parents. His younger brother was always a problem, willful and impatient. The younger thinks life at the farm is boring; even while he loves his family, he wants out, he wants away, he wants, he wants, he wants. Thus, the younger son asks for his inheritance and leaves home. The Prodigal asks. He doesn’t wait for the gift of Love, and he is rude in the request. But, he does ask, of his own free will.

Love is the name of our God. It is patient, kind and all of the other attributes delineated by St. Paul. And it is subversive. Love waits to be asked, to be called upon, to be desired. It is always waiting 

What little we know of the elder son is not pretty. He is whiney, he is petulant and he just doesn’t get it. He stayed home, did all the work and never asked for anything. The elder son never asks and Love needs to be asked, asked for, from and to. By that asking, Love demands participation, you can’t just get. The elder son never puts himself out, to ask or to receive. Love must be asked. The elder son just waits for daddy to tell him how good he is. But daddy never will.             The father is the fulcrum of this whole story. This daddy isn’t real bright. Why hasn’t he honored his elder son? Why does he agree to split the property? The father is Jesus’ catspaw, a tool to make a point. (He makes the same point in the parable of the workers. He has to repeat Himself because we are so dim.) And what is the point? That Love is always there, always waiting, always happy to take us back. What Love doesn’t do is acknowledge difference. Have you worked forever, oh, I love you so. Have you just walked in the door, oh, I love you so. This is the most difficult problem with Love (God): it doesn’t differentiate between deserving and undeserving. God just loves.

And there is the rub with the nature of God made manifest as Christ. Love never dies, it never forgets and it never holds a grudge. The elder brother wants to be first, best, but there is the younger brother, begging forgiveness. And God loves them equally. Love is not fair, and that is the hardest thing for us to accept. The good, honest hard working heart is equal to the prodigal, not better. No matter what we do or how long we stray, God is there waiting for us when we stagger back, to our home and family.