The idea of a prodigal son is usually presented alongside the notion of a merciful father.
A human being or animal is called a child with respect to its parents . Son, therefore, is the descendant of the parents . This paternity bond can arise through biological procreation or through adoption.
The idea of son can also refer to an individual with respect to his nation , his province, his region or his city. He who was born in Spanish territory, to cite one case, is a child of Spain .
The adjective prodigal , on the other hand, has several uses. It can refer to the person who wastes money, who is generous, or who despises valuable things. Something prodigal is also something that produces a lot of some element.
The concept of the prodigal son
Starting from all these definitions, we can understand what the concept of prodigal son refers to. This expression is usually used to name the child who, after leaving his parents' home with the intention of becoming independent, ends up returning .
For example: “Claudio lost his job and had to return home, so we are living again with the prodigal son” , “I don't want to be the prodigal son who returns to his parents at the first setback” , “How is the prodigal son, back with his parents?” .
The one who triumphed abroad and returned to his origin
In colloquial language, the prodigal son is usually mentioned as someone who, after succeeding abroad or in a place other than his own, returns to his place of origin .
Basketball player LeBron James is an example of a prodigal son: he played his first seven seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers , then joined the Miami Heat for four championships (becoming champions twice) and finally returned to Cleveland in what was rated by the press as the “return of the prodigal son” .
LeBron James, Cleveland's prodigal son.
Parable of the Prodigal Son
The parable of the Prodigal Son , finally, is a text present in the Gospel of Luke . The story narrates the experience of a son who distances himself from his father and, after wasting his fortune, returns asking for forgiveness and is happily accepted again by his father.
It is considered that the use of the expression prodigal son in our language arose from said parable, present in chapter 15, between verses 11 and 32, in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. It is worth mentioning that it is part of the trilogy traditionally called parables of mercy or joy , precisely because the message that Jesus of Nazareth gives through them is characterized by mercy. So important are these three parables that some consider them "the heart of the third gospel ."
This parable can be interpreted in several ways. On the one hand, there are those who take it as a kind of warning to the faithful who stray from their faith, that sooner or later they will find themselves empty-handed and their only option will be to return to the right path . This way of seeing the story of the prodigal son is not very hopeful but seems to close it to a cycle from which it is impossible to escape, as if we believed that society cannot advance through changes.
On the other hand, it is also possible to think that the figure of the father is not negative or closed to his son's decisions, but rather that it is the latter who makes a mistake and returns to his side to ask for help. It is important to understand that the mistake of the prodigal son is not abandoning his parental home but in any case not continuing to try to support himself by his own means once he wastes his first opportunities. A deep, objective and impartial analysis does not lead us to recognize two polar roles, one of the "good" and the other of the "bad", but rather two different positions.