Sharing In the Father’s Joy

English Homily- Second Sunday of Summer- Fr. Peter Patros The parable of the prodigal son is not just a story about the son who left — it is equally a story about the son who stayed. The father runs, embraces, and throws a banquet the moment his lost child returns, and heaven itself rejoices with the angels and saints over one sinner who repents. But the older son refuses to go in. He is physically at the door of the party, yet cannot bring himself to enter because bitterness and resentment have made him the arbiter of who deserves God’s blessing. The warning is sharp: if we cannot rejoice when God blesses someone we resent, we may not be able to enjoy heaven either — because heaven could be full of people we cannot stand. The Father comes out and invites the older son in just as tenderly. The question is whether we will go.