Luke 15:11-23

New Catholic Bible

¹¹ The Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.^[a] Then he said: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that I will inherit.’ And so the father divided the property between them.

¹³ “A few days later the younger son gathered together everything he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent it all, a severe famine afflicted that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.^{[b] 16} He would have willingly filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more food than they can consume, while here I am, dying of hunger. ¹⁸ I will depart from this place and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired workers.” ’

²⁰ “So he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the finest robe we have and put it on him. Place a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast.