In today's first reading and responsorial psalm God's love for sinners is described as steadfast. Nothing can shake it. In the Gospel story we find a father who loves his wild young son so steadfastly that he is the perfect human example of God's enduring love for sinners. That wild young man would never have risked returning home if, deep down inside him, he hadn't been aware of his father's steadfast love. That is the first message for us. This reminds me of the story of two ships captains who in sudden and protracted danger, were completely dependable, seeming to carry the whole ship and its crew on their shoulders. They were steadfast men, loving their ships and their men steadfastly.

The second message, however, is less comforting. It is true that we can be genuinely good and holy people. That goodness, though, however much it is our own, is even more fundamentally God's goodness shared with us. We ought not to rejoice too much in our goodness lest, almost imperceptibly, we begin to attribute it to ourselves. By telling this double-pronged story Jesus is appealing to His more self-righteous listeners to be aware of the danger. Disregard of this truth led the older brother to walk resentfully past the rejoicing throng. At least it looks as if that was what happened. Did he repent? Did he come to his senses and join the happy crowd?