Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him.
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes
sinners and eats with them."
Then Jesus told them this parable: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed
him.

"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your
son.'
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

-Luke 15:1-3, 11-31

I heard this reading this morning at Mass in College Station. Yesterday, I made the three-hour drive to go see an old friend of mine. The plan was for a day (and night) full of debauchery, alcohol and other such things. One problem, though: she never answered my calls or text messages. So that left me with a night to kill in small-town Texas. I headed over to an area of town known as Northgate, apparently the town's answer to 6th Street.

After enjoying some surprisingly decent Mexican food, I ended up at a newer bar in the area, The Corner. (Not to be confused with this Corner.) During the hour or so I spent there, I wound up making four friends for the night, two local gals, and two guys who were in from Fort Hood. During the night, I ended up celebrating an Asian girl's 22nd birthday, seeing a little person at a tattoo shop, witnessing one of the ladies in the group (a 26-year-old newlywed whose husband was in Belfast, according to her) stripping a doorman down to his boxers, and having a paisley shirt I was wearing critiqued by several girls.

I ended up heading back to my motel room around 3:00 a.m. The next morning, after packing away the unopened box of Trojans as well as my other things and checking out of my room, I headed by the local church to see when Mass was. Turns out it I was just in time for the 11 a.m. Mass.

After hearing the above-mentioned parable, it hit me. What the hell am I doing? What would posess me to drive three hours in a futile attempt for booty? (Sadly, the was the second time I've done that in the last few months.) More than anything, this is probably the reason I'm looking for someone new, just so I don't have to go through all this just to find someone to be with.