The word "prodigal" means incredibly, perhaps even wastefully, extravagant. So it has been argued that today's Gospel should really be called the Parable of the Prodigal Father. The story isn't about the son – neither son actually – it's about the Father. The Father is the one who sees us in all our sinfulness and runs out to meet us as we're coming up the road. He doesn't have to do that, but his mercy wouldn't have it any other way. And when he gets to us, he embraces us and showers us with blessings that we couldn't possibly deserve in a million years. The Father is truly prodigal with his mercy, prodigal with his compassion, prodigal with his forgiveness and his grace and his many blessings. All we have to do is start the journey back.