Good morning, my dear friends.
In Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son starts home and most of us think we know how the story ends. There will be an embrace, a robe, and a party. We have heard this one. Then Jesus leaves the older brother outside, furious, and suddenly the story has a question for those of us who were rather pleased to have understood it already.
Thank you to everyone who spent Tuesday evening exploring that family with me. Your questions, and the messages you sent afterward, were a joy. The technology gave us a few difficulties. It seems the older brother was not the only one reluctant to cooperate. But we stayed with the text together, and I am grateful we did.
We kept returning to familiar things this week: the promise we made to God, the parable we could summarize in our sleep, the prayer we actually said before sleep. We bring more life to them now. We know what regret feels like. We have people we worry about from a distance. Read with those experiences in mind, the old words can ask more of us, and offer more help, than we remembered.
Which book would help you right now?
If prayer has become difficult, I would point you toward How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say. If an experience with church still gets between you and God, begin with Faith After Church Hurt. You can begin with the question that brought you to the book and give it as much time as it needs.
Both are part of our newly refreshed, illustrated collection of six ebooks, included with a paid subscription. Your subscription also funds the writing and preparation behind work like Tuesday’s study, while helping me keep nearly everything available to people who cannot contribute. If you have room in your budget, become a supporting member today and choose a book to begin with. If money is tight, please keep reading here without guilt. I’m grateful for your prayers, your company, and every time you share the work.
This Week from Message From the Margins
Is it Ever Too Late?
The son who refuses his father eventually goes to work. The agreeable son never gets there. Jesus gives us an uncomfortable little distinction between the answer we offer and the life that follows it. Sunday’s homily brings Augustine and the man crucified beside Jesus into that question, with hope for anyone ashamed of how long they have delayed. What can we still put right, and how do we approach Christ when we cannot put everything right?
Live Bible Study: The Prodigal Son Like You’ve Never Heard Before
The father goes out to both sons. One has squandered his inheritance; the other cannot bear the welcome his brother receives. Staying with both of them makes this parable much harder to keep at a comfortable distance. If you missed Tuesday, the full recording is ready. Bring your Bible, pause when you want to linger, and explore how the story changes when we listen to whom Jesus is addressing.
Someone to Walk With Us
When I babysat my cousins, a little angel doll helped us say our bedtime prayers. Years later, those words have room for worries I could hardly have imagined then. Friday’s reflection follows that memory into Thomas Aquinas, Padre Pio, and a very practical question: How do we pray for people we love when we cannot be beside them? There is also a cat named Muffin, who took a dim view of my presence.
Find a prayer for someone you love
Also this week: What on Earth Are Angels, Anyway? explores Scripture’s heavenly messengers and the traditions we inherited. That post also includes your free copy of the second edition of When Everything Feels Like Too Much, with its Midterms 2026 Election Survival Guide.
From the Archives
You Never Noticed This in the Story of Zacchaeus
Before settling for the version about a short man and a tree, look at what Jesus actually says to him. Then listen to the crowd. If Tuesday’s study made you curious about the details we read past, Zacchaeus is an excellent next companion.
Jesus loved this wonderfully complicated family
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus give us another family to visit after the two sons. Their different ways of learning, serving, and grieving ask us to reconsider the roles we assign the people closest to us. Come back to their home in Bethany.
A little company for your weekend
If our angel conversation left you wondering why some Bibles include Tobit and others do not, begin with Episode I: How Did the Bible Become the Bible? For the next part of our history together, Episode II: How Did the Church Become the Church? follows the people who carried the faith into a new generation. Both are ready whenever you are.
In the Week Ahead
I’m preparing for Rome and continuing work on A Walk With Jesus of Nazareth, which begins November 29. If this week left you wanting more time with the Gospels, join the free Founding Community and help shape the thirty-day Walk. Signing up does not commit you to purchasing the course.
And please save Tuesday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern for our next live Bible study. I would love to see you there.
And Let Us Pray
Gracious God, help us hear Your Son when we think we already know what He will say. Give us courage to answer Him honestly, especially where we have been putting Him off. Be near to the people we love and cannot reach today. Help us accept the care You offer, and notice whom we can care for ourselves. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Have a peaceful weekend, my friends.
And Before You Go…
Who is on your heart this weekend? Leave a prayer request in the comments, sharing only what you are comfortable having other readers see. “Please pray for me” is enough. As you read one another’s requests, please offer a prayer for the person behind the words.
Heavenly Father, hear the prayers of this community, including the needs we cannot yet put into words. Give help to those waiting anxiously, comfort to those missing someone, and grace for the next step before us.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
If something you read or watched this week helped you understand your faith more deeply, I hope you’ll help me keep offering that experience. A paid subscription gives you access to our six illustrated ebooks and supporter-only essays, while funding the research, writing, and teaching behind the work we share with everyone.
If you’ve been meaning to join us and have room in your budget, please become a supporting member today. Your support helps me plan ahead and give this ministry the attention it deserves. If contributing would strain your finances, keep coming back. I’m glad you’re here.