In this homily for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, we are invited to reflect deeply on the true nature of repentance as a return of the heart to God — not merely an external action, but an inner movement toward the Merciful Father.

As the Church prepares us for Great Lent, this Gospel reminds us that our journey away from God often begins long before we physically leave Him. Like the younger son, we drift when we demand instead of give thanks, when we forget that everything we have is a gift, and when we choose our own will over communion with God.

Yet the heart of this parable is not the sin of the son — it is the mercy of the Father. A Father who watches, waits, and runs to meet us the moment we even begin to return. This is the God we encounter in Holy Confession: not a judge waiting to condemn, but a Father eager to forgive.

This message speaks directly to those who feel distant from God, burdened by shame, wounded by the Church, or trapped in sins they believe can never be forgiven. No matter how far we have gone or how long we have been away, a new beginning is always possible.

As we approach Cheesefare Sunday and the beginning of the Lenten fast, now is the time to rise and say with the prodigal son:
“I will get up and go to my Father.”

👉 Watch, reflect, and prepare your heart for Lent.

0:00 Opening Prayer & Greeting
0:19 Sunday of the Prodigal Son & Preparation for Lent
0:55 Repentance as an Inner Movement of the Heart
1:12 The Younger Son’s Demand & Spiritual Meaning
1:53 The Prodigal Son as an Icon of Our Spiritual Life
2:16 How Our Journey Away from God Begins
2:49 Forgetting God’s Gifts & Loss of Gratitude
3:25 The “Far Country” as a State of the Heart
3:55 Being in Church Yet Far from God
4:29 The Misery of the Far Country
4:47 Why People Drift Away from God
5:22 The Call to Repent No Matter How Far We’ve Gone
5:49 “I Will Get Up and Go to My Father”
6:06 Confession as the Conclusion of Repentance
7:12 The Merciful Father Revealed
7:42 The Father Who Runs to Meet His Son
8:45 God’s Immediate & Complete Forgiveness
9:12 Holy Confession & God’s Compassion
9:14 The Icon of the Prodigal Son Explained
10:11 Shame, Courage, and Repentance
10:49 God Places Our Sins in the Sea of Forgetfulness
11:35 Preparing for Lent Through Repentance
12:40 Examining the Heart with Scripture
13:30 The Father Who Waits with Open Arms
13:58 Final Exhortation & Doxology

For more from this parish please visit https://www.youtube.com/@stjohnmelkite & please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest

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