"Your brother has come!"

I have always enjoyed the story of the Prodigal Son (Reference Luke 15:11 if needed). I have always thought of it as having two meanings for us to apply to our lives: The obvious, which states that no matter what we do, God will always welcome us home, and the often over looked, which states that God always takes care of us while we are faithful. I will be focusing on the second point.

There are so many wonderful people who have become Neophytes (came into full communion with the Church) with their story of "Coming home." It is a very warming and welcoming sight to see and story to hear. But what about those of us who were Cradle Catholics (Catholics by birth)? Why don't we get to experience these tremendous experiences? Why don't we get this shower of God's love? The father in the parable explains it quite well:

"Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours."

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that we "have never disobeyed" God. I know I have many times, as I am sure the other son had disobeyed his father. We, just as the other son, become blinded by jealousy and overlook our own transgressions when complaining to God. But this is the amazing part: God does not correct us. He does not say "Hey, you did disobey me." but instead says "all that is mine is yours." How joyous we should be! All that is God's is ours, including salvation! During this Easter Season remember this story. Remember that no matter which son you are, you have had your faults, but God will either bring you home, or he is already keeping you there even though you are unworthy.