Scripture Reading
Luke 15:17–19 (Septuagint)
17 And when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.’
Devotional Reflection
The Prodigal’s turning point does not begin with a journey.
It begins with awareness.
“When he came to himself…”
In the pigsty, hungry and humiliated, something shifts.
Clarity replaces denial.
Truth replaces illusion.
He stops blaming.
He stops justifying.
He faces where his choices have led him.
“My father’s servants have bread.”
“I am perishing.”
“I will arise.”
Repentance is not first about distance traveled.
It is about honesty embraced.
To “come to yourself” is to return to the person you were created to be.
It is the moment when illusion falls away and longing speaks clearly.
Before there is movement,
there is awakening.
Before there is homecoming,
there is humility.
This quiet inner return is the first miracle of Lent.
Closing Prayer
Father,
Help me to come to myself today.
Open my eyes to the places where I’ve drifted.
Give me clarity to see the truth,
and courage to respond to it.
Awaken my heart.
Remind me who I am—and whose I am.
May this moment be the beginning of my return.
Amen.