The prodigal son is one of Jesus' best-known parables.
In the closing scene, the elder son refuses to join the celebration, so the father goes to plead with him. It ends there and we never know whether the elder son went in or stayed out. Here is an imaginary ending.
Then to the elder son, "And you ... always the martyr. You act as if you're the only one who has to go the extra mile. Well, I have to do it and so does everybody else. it's time you learned to swallow hard and rise above the things in life that are unfair. Stop your silly pouting."
She then goes and gets the younger son. "And you, the spoiled little prince - in there celebrating and you never even thought to ask about you brother and apologize for leaving him to do all the work. It's about time you realized that the whole world doesn't revolve around you."
Then to the three of them. "Work out your differences some other time. We've got company, so get in there and start acting like family instead of three-year-olds."
Reconciliations can be complicated. But that's no reason not to reconcile.
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw