24th Sunday C

Here's a new name for a familiar story: The Lost Son. The parable of the prodigal son and loving father follows two parables of "loss": The lost sheep and the lost coin. Like both of them, that which was lost is found.

We rarely talk about the elder son beyond his lack of understanding for his brother and his father. He clearly represents an attitude that Jesus condemned in the Pharisees. It is an attitude that we should watch out for. It is easy to resent someone else's good fortune, especially if it seems undeserved or we think we are more deserving. It can be difficult to rejoice with another's good fortune.