“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.” (Luke 15:11-13)

Over the past two days, we have reflected on the worst of the four conditions of the heart described in the Parable of the Sower: the seed that falls along the path—on a road that has been heavily trampled. In such a condition, God’s word has virtually no effect, because our hearts have become too hardened and too indifferent, often the result of long-term neglect of our spiritual life. Most of us may find ourselves somewhere in between: on the one hand, we have not reached the ideal of bearing a hundredfold harvest; on the other hand, we have not fallen to the tragic state in which the seed is snatched away by the evil one before it can even take root.

At the core of this condition lies our relationship with God. When this relationship is absent or deeply damaged, the Word cannot enter our hearts. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus offers us a vivid and powerful illustration: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.” (Luke 15:11-13)

This younger son represents every heart that chooses to leave the Father and pursue a self-directed and an independent life. In the early stages of the parent–child relationship, dependence brings closeness. But as a child grows and becomes capable of self-sufficiency, communication diminishes and distance increases. The same dynamic appears in our relationship with God.

When we treat our talents, health, time, and various blessings as things “rightfully our own,” as though they were owed to us, we begin to regard God’s gifts as private possessions. We deceive ourselves into thinking we can live well and happily apart from God. This is precisely the lie sown by the evil one.

The Fathers of the Church identify pride as the root of such behavior. Pride is the beginning of all sins and the first step away from God.

When the younger son demanded his inheritance while his father was still alive, he was essentially saying, “I do not want you; I only want what you can give me.”

This separation, born of pride, led him to a distant land—far from his father’s house and far from the voice that once nourished him. The human heart, likewise, becomes a path trampled again and again, hardened by the weight of self-will, leaving God’s word to rest only on the surface, soon to be taken away.

When we choose to leave God, we cannot complain that He feels distant.

Everything we possess originally comes from God, but when we treat these blessings as unrelated to Him, as private property of our own making, we open the door to the evil one, who steals the most important seed—the life-giving Word that leads to eternal life.

Success gained through such “independence” may look like victory, but from the perspective of God’s Kingdom, it is the loss and ruin of the soul.

Nevertheless, God’s mercy never ceases.

Like the father who watched the road day and night waiting for his son’s return, the God who awaits the prodigal extends the same promise to us: the moment we turn back in contrition, the Father not only receives us again but gives us a new heart.

Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of the entire life, a wholehearted return to God. Reading Scripture, praying, and worshiping sincerely—these practices revive within us the spirit of conversion and repentance.

The question for today is not whether we have gone astray, but whether we are willing to return and amend our ways. Will we continue wandering on the hardened road shaped by a mindset of “independence,” distancing us from God? Or will we allow the Father’s love to till the soil of our hearts once more?

Our choice we make now determines our destiny. Let us not wait until everything has been squandered before we awaken and turn back. Even if we are still far away, the moment we turn toward Him, the Father will run to meet us.

Let us, with hearts disposed to conversion, once again listen to the words of Jesus:

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.” (Luke 15:11-13)

Reflection

Have I, in my own life, had moments like the younger son—stretching out my hand to God, demanding “my share,” and unconsciously treating His freely given grace as my own private possession?

How has my desire to be free from dependence on God gradually distanced me from Him and hardened my heart against His Word?

Am I ready to abandon my longing for self-sufficiency and once again rely fully on God in all things?

Today’s Prayer

Father, I am like the younger son, often asking You for “my share” and walking toward a distant land of self-reliance. I admit that pride has hardened my heart—like a trampled path on which Your Word cannot take root.

Forgive me for treating Your gifts as my own possessions and for personally creating this distance between us. Today, I choose to return. Grant me the grace of true repentance—soften my heart, remove my indifference, and let Your Word sink deep within me.

I renounce the lies the enemy has sown in my heart—those false promises that urge me to pursue autonomy and self-sufficiency apart from You. I desire once again to rely on You completely. Thank You for watching over me and for running toward me when I turn back. Lord, I long to return to Your embrace.

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