When the “prodigal son” returned home, his father dressed him in the finest robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. He killed the best calf and they celebrated with a great feast.

The older brother was coming back from working in the field, he got angry and reproached his father: “All these years I have worked tirelessly for you and never refused to do anything you asked of me. And in all that time, you never gave me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends.”

The event revealed that the older brother, the “ideal son,” lived resentful towards his father. He constantly sought his approval; that is why he was such a hard worker. His father never celebrated his achievements or his remarkable obedience. He ended up feeling a strong rejection towards his younger brother.

I am thinking about those children who are rarely praised by their parents, and those Christians who are scarcely recognized in their congregations. They might hide slight traces of bitterness in their hearts.

But the father’s response was emphatic: “Look, dear son, you have always been by my side, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day, for your brother was dead and has come back to life, he was lost and now has been found.”

It is not yet time for the reward; we will receive it in heaven. Now, it is up to us to strive and rejoice every time a younger brother returns home.