Our Generous Father

Every time I recite the Lord's Prayer "Our Father...", I think of the old father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We find it in Luke 15, 11: 32 here:
11 Then he said, There was a certain man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of these said to his father, Father, give me that portion of the estate which falls to me. So he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days afterwards, the younger son put together all that he had, and went on his travels to a far country, where he wasted his fortune in riotous living. 14 Then, when all was spent, a great famine arose in that country, and he found himself in want; 15 whereupon he went and attached himself to a citizen of that country, who put him on his farm, to feed swine. 16 He would have been glad to fill his belly with husks, such as the swine used to eat; but none was ready to give them to him. 17 Then he came to himself, and said, How many hired servants there are in my father’s house, who have more bread than they can eat, and here am I perishing with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee; 19 I am not worthy, now, to be called thy son; treat me as one  thy hired servants.20 And he arose, and went on his way to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and took pity on him; running up, he threw his arms round his neck and kissed him. 21 And when the son said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee; I am not worthy, now, to be called thy son, 22 the father gave orders to his servants, Bring out the best robe, and clothe him in it; put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.23 Then bring out the calf that has been fattened, and kill it; let us eat, and make merry; 24 for my son here was dead, and has come to life again, was lost, and is found. And so they began their merry-making. 25 The elder son, meanwhile, was away on the farm; and on his way home, as he drew near the house, he heard music and dancing;26 whereupon he called one of the servants and asked what all this meant. 27 He told him, Thy brother has come back, and thy father has killed the fattened calf, glad to have him restored safe and sound. 28 At this he fell into a rage, and would not go in. When his father came out and tried to win him over, 29 he answered his father thus, Think how many years I have lived as thy servant, never transgressing thy commands, and thou hast never made me a present of a kid, to make merry with my friends; 30 and now, when this son of thine has come home, one that has swallowed up his patrimony in the company of harlots, thou hast killed the fattened calf in his honour. 31 He said to him, My son, thou art always at my side, and everything that I have is already thine;32 but for this merry-making and rejoicing there was good reason; thy brother here was dead, and has come to life again; was lost, and is found.

The above Parable may well be named after the Generous Father. He is our Father whose heaven has come down to us since the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and his promise to the disciples (with his mother; the Mother of God) that they would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Every time, we receive the Eucharist in the state of grace, we are enriched by the Real Presence of Christ; His body and soul united to his Divinity by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Again, the Generous Father pictured in the Parable is real... He let his younger son take his portion of the property and travel to a far country where he wasted his fortune in pleasures. When a famine struck him, he had no choice but to survive by eating from the farm of a man and feeding pigs - a sign of uncleanness in Jewish tradition/symbolism. He would have enjoyed the husks that the swine ate but none was ready to give them to him. His state of hunger was taking a toll on his life so he asked himself  the existential question: How can I survive? I will go back to my father's home and ask him to make me one of his servants! The old man was looking out everyday for his younger son - He missed his younger son .When the old man saw his younger son, he ran to meet him and did not bother with the dignity of the old persons. His force to run came back to him. He threw himself upon his son, and embraced him not waiting for his lost son to complete his apology. He immediately called his servants and said to them "Bring out the best robe, and clothe him in it; put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.23 Then bring out the calf that has been fattened, and kill it; let us eat, and make merry; 24 for my son here was dead, and has come to life again, was lost, and is found." The rest of the story is also a good lesson for us when we are jealous of others whom we think do not deserve the Lord's care - But the Lord himself said that he came to call sinners and the outcast to repent, and to heal the sick!  
I am grateful to God for the above interpretation given to us through Fr. Georges Farah, MSSP...