David Brooks published a very thoughtful essay in yesterday’s New York Times, applying the lesson of ‘the prodigal son’ to our current social divisions.

He argues, in brief, that there are two prodigal sons in the famous parable, not one.  There’s the younger son who blows his inheritance, repents of his bad choices, and crawls back to his father, seeking only a menial job and a place in the stable.  There’s also the older son, the prig, who judges his younger brother harshly and wants to punish him for his misdeeds.

Brooks points out that only the father realizes that both sons are wounded, not just one.  Only love can restore either of them to wholeness.  Not judgment.  Not hectoring about ‘bad life choices’.  Not efforts to regulate others’ behavior.  Just love and acceptance.  Brooks presents this as a powerful parable for our times.

Those of us who have made the ‘right’ choices need to overcome our tendency to judge and punish the homeless, the poor, and the weak, even if they have contributed to the mess they’re in.  We mustn’t reserve our love and help for just the blameless victims.   If we do, we become less than human.

Read the essay HERE.