Pain, shame, and family trauma: Fresh perspectives on the prodigal son

The older brother in the parable of the prodigal son voices a common frustration: “The unfairness of somebody else getting what we think they don’t deserve,” says Stephen Tully, pastor of All Saints Catholic Church in Ballito, an affluent coastal town just north of Durban, South Africa, and chairman of the Napier Centre 4 Healing. Loyal and hardworking, the older brother feels overlooked when his father celebrates the younger son’s return with a lavish feast—a welcome he’s never received. “I think his pain and shame is that he’s done everything right. So why don’t I get more?” Stephen reflects. “Maybe the father never thought of doing a fatted calf for him because he was just so everyday happy with him.” On this week’s “Preach,” for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C (Laetare Sunday), host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., is joined by Stephen, whose years of ministry among marginalized communities have shaped his reading of the parable—and even led him to question the younger brother’s motivations for leaving home. Could family dynamics and trauma have played a role in his departure? “For all we know, the prodigal son may have run away because the older brother was so arrogant, a horrible person to be with,” says Stephen. “You can go back to the older brother, but if he’s the toxic person that made you run away, stuff’s got to be done.” Get daily Scripture reflections and support "Preach" by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine “Preach” is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices