The life that the prodigal son experienced began to turn sour after the momentary sweetness wore off. We are never satisfied with the husks of pigs because we are made to be in constant communion with God, the only true source of nourishment.
God also allowed a famine to occur in the land that he was living in. "Thus, often the Lord sends external calamities to a sinner who has become mired in his sinful life, to force him to become sober. These misfortunes are at the same time both the punishment of God and His call to repentance." - Archbishop Averky
He repents and rises up from the filth of the swine which represent the passions of the flesh that he was feeding. But he does not stop there. He begins a journey back towards his Father, indicating the need for us to not just repent, but to begin acting towards our correction.
He plans to beg his Father to treat him as a hired servant since he is no longer worthy to be called His son. "This is an expression of profound humility and a confession of his unworthiness, both of which always accompany true repentance in a sinner." -Archbishop Averky
It is on his journey home that His Father, Who was continually watching for His return, goes out to meet him before even reaching His Father's house, which is a symbol of the Church.
Here the three Holy Mysteries/Sacraments of initiation are described. We see that the Father has his servants, the Priests, put the Chief/First robe on His son, Holy Baptism, bringing him back to his original state, being clothed in God's likeness that he had before the fall in when he was made naked. He is given the ring of his Father, as a symbol of the power of his Father and as a seal and pledge of the future blessings in the world to come, just as the symbol of chrismation is given to those baptized. Along with the ring, shoes are put on his feet to trample on snakes and scorpions, demons and the devil himself that had dominated him previously. Then the gift of the slayed wheat-fed young bullock is given him to eat and be merry, because the son that was dead was made alive again, and he that was lost was found. When we begin this life of repentance and journey toward God, we are joined to the Church, and then God in His love allows us to partake of Holy Communion to be fed spiritually on wheat that has become the flesh of Christ, the Lamb of God.
Christ became man, closely like becoming a beast in comparison to His Godly nature, to trample down death by death. In His being slayed, He destroyed death because death had no hold on Him because of His being without sin and having fulfilled all of the Law of Moses, not incurring guilt. By partaking in Christ, the Lamb of God, we partake of the Life of Christ and we too can become conquerors of death and rise with Him at His future second coming.
When the elder son heard of what had happened, he was very upset and began to sin himself. He who had victoriously conquered all of the sinful pleasures, was defeated by the sin of envy and lack of mercy for the repentant. He refused to go into his Father's house and made himself like a hired servant by speaking of his deeds as serving his Father. He made His Father's ways mere commands to be followed, not seeing how He lovingly was training him to become godlike. He asks why his Father never gave him a goat to be slain to make him merry. He is asking why God never destroyed his wicked enemies, the goats, and instead allows them to continue on living a life of sin causing trouble for the righteous. God does so, because he desires the repentance of all. The elder son also does not realize that he has sinned, and that if he would come into the house of God, the Church and feast at the table that the Father has made for the prodigal son, he too will be brought back to life.
May we learn from both sons and return to our Father's homeland, and once there remember the great blessings that our Father has given us and never stray from His house. And remembering how merciful God is with us, let us also be merciful to those that have sinned gravely and welcome them back to communion with God and His Church, to whom be the glory honor and worship, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Here the three Holy Mysteries/Sacraments of initiation are described. We see that the Father has his servants, the Priests, put the Chief/First robe on His son, Holy Baptism, bringing him back to his original state, being clothed in God's likeness that he had before the fall in when he was made naked. He is given the ring of his Father, as a symbol of the power of his Father and as a seal and pledge of the future blessings in the world to come, just as the symbol of chrismation is given to those baptized. Along with the ring, shoes are put on his feet to trample on snakes and scorpions, demons and the devil himself that had dominated him previously. Then the gift of the slayed wheat-fed young bullock is given him to eat and be merry, because the son that was dead was made alive again, and he that was lost was found. When we begin this life of repentance and journey toward God, we are joined to the Church, and then God in His love allows us to partake of Holy Communion to be fed spiritually on wheat that has become the flesh of Christ, the Lamb of God.
Christ became man, closely like becoming a beast in comparison to His Godly nature, to trample down death by death. In His being slayed, He destroyed death because death had no hold on Him because of His being without sin and having fulfilled all of the Law of Moses, not incurring guilt. By partaking in Christ, the Lamb of God, we partake of the Life of Christ and we too can become conquerors of death and rise with Him at His future second coming.
When the elder son heard of what had happened, he was very upset and began to sin himself. He who had victoriously conquered all of the sinful pleasures, was defeated by the sin of envy and lack of mercy for the repentant. He refused to go into his Father's house and made himself like a hired servant by speaking of his deeds as serving his Father. He made His Father's ways mere commands to be followed, not seeing how He lovingly was training him to become godlike. He asks why his Father never gave him a goat to be slain to make him merry. He is asking why God never destroyed his wicked enemies, the goats, and instead allows them to continue on living a life of sin causing trouble for the righteous. God does so, because he desires the repentance of all. The elder son also does not realize that he has sinned, and that if he would come into the house of God, the Church and feast at the table that the Father has made for the prodigal son, he too will be brought back to life.
May we learn from both sons and return to our Father's homeland, and once there remember the great blessings that our Father has given us and never stray from His house. And remembering how merciful God is with us, let us also be merciful to those that have sinned gravely and welcome them back to communion with God and His Church, to whom be the glory honor and worship, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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