Sunday, February 28, 2021

The Parable of the Prodigal Son: An Instructive Lesson for Youth (St. John Maximovitch)

 

By St. John Maximovitch

"And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me'" (Luke 15:11-32).

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a most instructive lesson for youth. We see in the prodigal son the true character of flighty youth: light-minded, thoughtless, thirsting for independence; in short, everything that usually distinguishes the majority of youths.

The younger son grew up in his parents’ house. On reaching adolescence, he already began to imagine that life at home was too restrictive. It seemed unpleasant to him to live under his father’s rule and his mother’s watchful eye.