The Prodigal Son

The Prodigal Son, 9x12", Acrylic and Gold on Panel 

When I disobey in ignorance thy fatherly glory, I wasted in iniquities the riches that thou gavest me. Wherefore, I cry to thee with the voice of the prodigal son, saying, I have sinned before thee, O compassionate Father, receive me repentant, and make me as one of thy hired servants. 

On this day, we make remembrance of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which occurs in the noble Gospel and which our deified Fathers instituted in the Triodion.

O thou who art like me, a prodigal, come forward with confidence and tranquility;
For unto all has been opened the door of Divine Mercy.

In the parable our Savior tells, Jesus illustrates three things: the condition of the sinner, the canon of repentance and the knowledge of God’s compassion. For in the person of the prodigal son, we view the wretched condition that sin creates for us distant from God and His Sacraments. However, we become aware of ourselves and awaken, hastening with hope to return to Him through repentance. Our Savior wants to call back to His mansions all those who have been
overtaken by despair, lacking hope of forgiveness for their grave sins. The Father encourages all of his lost children to remove the desperation from their hearts, and revive their energies for virtuous deeds.
Through Thine ineffable love for mankind, O Christ our God, have mercy upon us. Amen.

From the Synaxarion