Luke 15:21 (DRB)

Passage

And the son said to him: Father: I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not now worthy to be called thy son.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:19 I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Luke 15:20 And rising up, he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion and running to him fell upon his neck and kissed him.

Luke 15:21 And the son said to him: Father: I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not now worthy to be called thy son.

Luke 15:22 And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe and put it on him: and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.

Luke 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it: and let us eat and make merry:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "said", "father", "sinned", "against", "heaven", "before", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And rising up he came to his..." into verse 22's "And the father said to his servants...", so "called" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.