The first reading contains part of a prayer expressing confidence in God's faithfulness and mercy. There are images in the prayer which allude to the time when God took care of the people of Israel in the desert during the exodus and brought them back "from the land of Egypt." Confident in God's love and mercy shown to His people, the prophet Micah implores God to care for the people of his time. The theme of God's mercy continues in the Gospel passage of today. This passage highlights Jesus' openness and fellowship with sinners. The sinners draw near to Jesus by their act of repentance, and Jesus receives them by inviting them to table with Him. He communicates His solidarity with them as they do with Him.

Interestingly, in the parable, we can see the younger son rejecting his father and walking away from his father's house. This is similar to the Jews wandering away from God. However, all of them receive God's mercy when they return to the Way of the Lord. Also, we see the hypocritical attitude of the Pharisees towards sinners as embodied in the older son's rejection of the return of his brother. The older son represents the reactions of those who resent and resist Jesus' attitude towards repentant sinners and who refuse to rejoice at the return of these sinners.

Today we are called to be obedient to God's commandments by transcending our own resentment towards those sinners who repent and return to God's household.