So the younger son set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.  Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.(Luke 15: 20-28)

I am the older brother in the parable.

Like most people, I like to imagine myself to be the prodigal son who was received openly and lovingly by the Father. Alas, it is too beautiful an image to forgo. There was a time when I was that son. However, I cannot be the perpetual prodigal son. I came home to be with the Father. Now, I have been living in His household for a while. I enjoy all the benefits of being His child. I also serve in His household. I have more in common with the older brother in this parable now.

It would have been great if Jesus ended this parable with the estranged young man returning home; a perfect happy ending. Instead, Jesus brought the older brother into the story. An happily ever after story becomes a sort of tragedy. The older brother wasn’t happy with the Father’s standard. It seemed to him that his father had none. Before we judge the older brother, we need to ask ourselves how we would feel if God received someone whom we know to be an ungrateful egoistical person as if he was a saint returning home. I am not sure that I would be very enthusiastic with such a reception. The older brother was upset that His Father welcomed with open arms his self-centered younger brother without any conditions. It almost sounds like the Father was into “cheap” grace. The older brother might have done things differently. Unfortunately for him, he was not the owner of the household. He just happened to be privileged to live in His Father’s household; just like anyone of us.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of homeless teens and children has increased. I would say that the numbers have doubled. Unfortunately, many of the newcomers are not necessarily agreeable or charming. Some of them are intimidating and aggressive. They have grown accustomed to the tough life in the streets and adopted a persona that helps them survive in the streets. I understand why they do it. Nevertheless, it makes it hard for us to have any affection for them. To be honest, I don’t really want to spend time with them. I would rather have quality time with the ones we have known for years. They are pleasant and nice; qualities which are lacking in these newcomers. We wait on the steps of the cathedral for the children and I secretly hope that none of these new aggressive ones come to us.

Eric approached us and asked to play a game. He looks like a ten year old but he is at least fifteen and has a face of an angel. A few weeks ago, he tried to set a boy on fire with paint thinner. Then, on another day, he threw paint thinner at random people who walking pass the Cathedral. This chemical is dangerous and can cause serious damage to the skin and eyes. Eric is quite unpredictable and dangerous. He does not show any remorse for his actions. We suspect that he has mental illness. However, we can never be sure because we are not mental health professionals. Today he wanted to spend time with us. Obviously, he is not our first choice. We were waiting one of God’s children to come to us and Eric was the first to approach us. During our time together, I saw some of the other “more pleasant” teens walking by. I was tempted to call them over and then I realized that today God brought Eric to us. Therefore, he deserved our full and undivided attention. We sat and played with him. He stayed with us for a long time, almost our whole time in the streets. This is the first time he has done this. He was calm and peaceful. I know a little bit about his background. I met his mother some years ago. Back then, he used to come the streets occasionally. Recently, the streets have become his permanent home. His mother suffers from severe mental illness. She has two sons and they suffered neglect and abuse in their homes. Both are in the streets. For a short time today, he spent quality time with us. Perhaps God wanted him to know that there are people who would still give him the time and attention that he needed. I was waiting for the teens that I liked but the Father sent Eric to us instead. Maybe, Eric will not remember this time together. With his mental state, it is very possible that he will forget everything. This is not really important in a way. We were given an opportunity to see Eric the way God sees him.

The next day was not any different. Our usual group of teens and children were nowhere to be found. Instead a teenager named Maxwell came up to us. We have known this young man for many years. He always looked grumpy and unfriendly. He never spoke to us all these years but today he wanted to do an activity with us. He asked if we had something to do together. We played a game. He wore his usual grumpy face for a while until Mary said something that made him smile. He stayed with us throughout our time together. He has been in the streets most of his life. He is one of the young people whose whole family are connected with the street life. I know that a documentary crew made a movie about him once. Now we sense that he is tired of being homeless and is looking for something different. As we playing with him the other teens approached us and Maxwell warned them that they need to behave in our presence because we deserve their respect. He was trying to say something to us indirectly.

This week was characterized by interactions with teens and children that I would consider unpleasant. They are people that I would avoid in a normal circumstances. It is easy to only see the negative aspect of these young people because they refuse to show their more vulnerable nature. However, the Father waits patiently for all his children to return to His household. It is open not only to those whom I like. This is not my house. The Father is very indiscriminate. He loves all those who come to Him without imposing conditions. This is our God that Jesus portrays in His gospel. If we live and serve in His household, then we have to learn to love the way He loves. If not, we are just lost souls living in the Father’s household like the older brother of the parable. He was worse off than his young brother who was lost in the world. He was lost because he did not understand His Father’s love whereas the older brother did not want to understand or participate in His Father’s joy.

To my surprise, I enjoyed all my interactions with these difficult teens and children. I saw that Eric was a lost and confused child. He might be unstable but he still desires to be loved. Maxwell is unhappy with life. He was born into this situation. Perhaps there was nothing in his life that brought him joy. All these young people have been nurtured in hatred and anger. Their lives look bleak and empty. The world judges them according to what they see on the outside. I am just like the rest of the world but I do serve a Father who sees the hearts of these teens and children. The Father knows the thoughts and struggles of these difficult children. When He rejoices the return of each wayward child, then we have to trust in the Father’s judgment and rejoice with Him. It is like taking a leap of faith.

In the parable, Jesus never tells us why the young man left His father’s house. The Father never asked why he came back. He was just happy that the younger son realized that His Father’s love is generous enough to receive him. I am the older son. I don’t have to become like the older son of the parable. However, it is important to recognize that the potential is there in me to be like him. It is also good to remind myself that I am just a mere servant in the household of an extravagantly generous God. I cannot change God and expect Him to be only kind and generous to the people that I like. I need to allow God to be God and celebrate His generosity. In doing so, I might also come to realize that it is very generous of God to allow me to participate in His joy of receiving a wayward child back into His home.

I am thankful that Jesus ended the parable with the story of the older brother.