Once there was a wealthy man with two sons. One day, the younger son demanded his share of the inheritance, wanting to live life on his own terms. His father, though saddened, gave him the money.
 

The young man left home and traveled to a faraway city. He wasted his wealth on reckless living, throwing parties and indulging in pleasures. Soon, he was penniless. A famine struck the land, and he found himself hungry and desperate. He took a job feeding pigs, so poor that he envied the food the pigs ate.
 

Finally, he realized, “Even my father’s servants have enough to eat, and here I am starving! I’ll return home and beg to work as a servant.”
 

With a heavy heart, he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and ran to him, embracing him warmly. The son confessed, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I’m not worthy to be your son.”
 

But his father called the servants and said, “Bring the best robe, a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet! Prepare a feast, for my son was lost and is found!”
 

The elder brother, returning from the fields, was upset when he saw the celebration. He complained, “I’ve served you faithfully, yet you’ve never thrown me a party. But now you celebrate for him?”
 

The father gently replied, “You are always with me, and all I have is yours. But we must celebrate your brother was dead and is alive again, lost and now found!”