Got talking...

...about the Prodigal Son. The finest bit of the story is the Father, who sees the son from far off, and runs out to meet him. The initiative comes from him, and the son's is actually rather grudging - he's only homeward-bound because he knows that at least there'll be some food there. The Father's heart is full of love and concern.If he saw the son from far off, probably it was because he glanced that way often, day after day, praying and hoping....but what if the son arrives announcing that he's been right all along, that he's a saint and no sinner, and just what the family needs, and he's going to change things to the way he believes they ought to have been from years back? Penitence is unpopular today, and "returning home" is more often seen in terms of assuming rights.