"Faithful" Christians

Gospel: Luke 15: 1-32

Fun fact: prior to the Second Vatican Council and the liturgical reform, the parable of the Prodigal Son was never part of the lectionary of the Roman liturgy.  Catholics never heard this Gospel proclaimed prior to the 1960s.  

It is perhaps in this light that focus might be applied to the elder son who remained in his father's house.  Was he more "faithful" than his brother who led a wayward life? The older son took his father's love for granted and was indifferent to it.  Worse still, he held a demeaning attitude toward his brother.  The Father had to rebuke the elder son, telling him he ought to rejoice at his brother's return.  The elder son was as sinful as his brother, just a different set of sins.  

And yet the Father invites the elder son to the banquet of mercy so that he might be reconciled to his brother - the Father who had brought a retinue of servants with him in search of the prodigal reminds his older son that, in spite of his sins, he too is always a part of his household.  

It is tempting to see ourselves as "faithful" Christians when we only focus on our time spent in our father's house.  We become complacent and smug, comparing ourselves to the wayward and of course always coming out victorious in such comparisons.  Yet, like the Pharisees, our self-righteousness is our undoing.  We have our own set of sins, our own need of approaching the banquet in repentance.