In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Beloved in Christ, today we enter more deeply into the Triodion as we contemplate the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Church in her wisdom places this Gospel before us as we prepare for the Great Fast, for in it we see ourselves – both our falling away and the possibility of our return.
St. John Chrysostom tells us that this parable is aptly called “the Gospel within the Gospel,” for it contains the whole mystery of God’s salvation. The Holy Fathers arranged the Triodion to gradually lead us into repentance, and after last Sunday’s humility of the Publican, we now see the full drama of turning back to God.
Let us look carefully at this divine story. The younger son demands his inheritance – what shocking presumption! St. Gregory Palamas notes that this represents our own wilful separation from God, treating His gifts as things to be grasped rather than received in thanksgiving. “Give me my portion” – how often have we too treated God as a mere distributor of goods rather than our loving Father?
The Church gives us this parable now, weeks before Great Lent, because true repentance cannot be rushed. St. John of Damascus writes: “The journey from Jerusalem to Jericho is quick, but the journey back takes time and effort.” So too, our return to God requires preparation. We must first recognise, like the prodigal among the swine, how far we have fallen.
Consider how the young man “came to himself.” St. Augustine beautifully observes: “He returned to himself, and then found himself in a far country.” This self-knowledge is the beginning of repentance. The Triodion places this Sunday here because we too must “come to ourselves” before we can begin the Lenten journey.
But what happens next shows us God’s unfathomable love. The Father runs to meet his son – an act shocking in its humility. St. Cyril of Alexandria remarks that this running shows us how God does not wait passively but rushes out to meet our smallest movement toward Him. “While he was yet a great way off” – before any formal apology, before any acts of penance – the Father already extends His embrace.
This, beloved, is why the Triodion gives us this parable now. For some of us might think, “I have fallen too far. Great Lent is coming, but surely I am not worthy to return.” And to this, St. John Climacus answers: “No one has fallen so far that they cannot arise. The Father’s house awaits.”
We must also note the elder brother’s reaction. As we prepare for the Fast, we might be tempted to pride in our religious observance. The elder son kept all the rules but lacked love. St. Isaac the Syrian warns us: “Better to eat meat and drink wine with humility than to judge others from a position of fasting.”
The placing of this Sunday in the Triodion teaches us something profound about repentance. Between the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee and the Sunday of the Last Judgment, we see that true repentance is not merely sorrow for sins, but a return to love. The prodigal didn’t just regret his actions – he remembered his Father’s love and returned to it.
St. Mary of Egypt, whose life we will commemorate during Great Lent, is often called a “living icon” of this parable. Like the prodigal, she went from utter degradation to profound holiness. The Church shows us her example, and this parable, to emphasise that no one is beyond redemption.
As we prepare for the Great Fast, let each of us see ourselves in this divine story. Whether we are far off in a strange land, or smugly dutiful like the elder brother, or somewhere in between, the Father’s embrace awaits us. The Triodion places this Sunday here to kindle our hope and love before the ascetic labour that lies ahead.
For the Father’s words ring out to us all: “This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” May we all arise and return to that embrace.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Copyright © 2025 The Rev. Adrian Augustus. The Russian Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael, Blacktown, NSW
