How did the young man go so wrong? Having demanded that his dad give him his inheritance early, he left home and spent it on self-centered indulgence. In Jesus’ parable (see Luke 15:11–32), this prodigal son, acting as if his dad were dead, soon exhausted the inheritance and was left with nothing. 

But was he? The son humbly headed home, and when he arrived, his father immediately embraced him, brought out the finest clothes, gave him a special ring, and threw a party to celebrate his return. 

This gospel narrative is great news for all of us. However misguided our behavior or attitude, we can always turn to our Father-Mother God and find our divine Parent giving us all that’s truly good. The parable indicates that as God’s child, His spiritual image, we each have an inheritance that can’t be wasted or waste away because it’s not a finite, material amount of anything. It’s the infinite good that’s sourced in God, Spirit, and it’s forever available.