Sunday of the Prodigal Son

On this Sunday of the Prodigal Son, we are shown a story of repentance and acceptance. The Prodigal Son is an image of each of us, as we "remember ourselves" and resolve to break with our sins, return from exile, and start a new life. Although God is saddened by sin, He promises to forgive us when we genuinely repent. On this Sunday and the two Sundays that follow, we sing Psalm 137 ("By the waters of Babylon") at Matins. This song of the Israelite captivity expresses our situation as exiles in a foreign land. Unlike the Israelites - but like the prodigal son - we can choose to return home. (The Great Fast (archpitt.org)