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Years ago, my dad went through a phase of converting our old VHS home videos to digital so that he could share them with our family. There were some real gems among the bunch – from dance recitals to hours of gift-opening on Christmas – my parents filmed it all.

There was one video that stood out for its simplicity. Just an ordinary moment in an otherwise ordinary day.

I am about a year old, just starting to walk and talk. I revel in my newfound independence as I explore everything within reach. I pick up a toy, put it down. My dad builds a tower; I knock it down. Only a parent could be so captivated as to pull out their bulky 90's camcorder.

In the video, my dad, watching me from the sidelines, asks over and over, "Does Cassie love Dada?" to which I respond, "No."

Over and over, he asks.

Each time, I respond no.

Can't he see that I'm busy exploring the world, which has grown bigger now that I can walk on my own?

Finally, my mom asks from behind the camera, "Cassie, what are you supposed to say?"

Without a pause, I answer: "Yes!" That one yes was louder and more confident than all the previous no's. That yes was ingrained in me.

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We are still in a Jubilee Year, my friends.

One of the hallmarks of a jubilee year is homecoming. We read about this in the proclamation of the Jubilee Year in Leviticus:

“You shall treat this fiftieth year as sacred. You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to your own property, each of you to your own family.” (Leviticus 25:10)

What does it mean to return home? What does it mean to abide in our Father’s house?

I have become acutely aware of the feeling of being away from home. Since moving to Indiana in 2022, the idea of “home” has shifted, and I began to see it more in terms of relationships rather than a physical place. I began to see myself as a home, too. A place where the Spirit resides, a welcome place for others to find rest, a place of communion with the One who created me.

Ultimately, home is what we all long for and on the Christian journey, it’s where we are all headed.

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On this side of heaven, however, we do a lot of leaving home.

When I think of this leaving and returning, my mind arrives at the story of the Prodigal Son – or perhaps more accurately, the Prodigal Father, who cannot be outdone in generosity towards his sons.

It's a story so familiar to us because it is our story! It’s the drama that unfolds in my 30-year-old home video – the independent and willful child, drawn into relationship again and again by her patient father.

Every time we "leave home," putting distance between ourselves and God, we tell Him no.

Every time we value the gifts of God more than the Giver Himself, we tell Him no.

Every time we prolong our return to God out of fear of His response, we tell Him no.

Every time we are the sullen sibling, resentful over His mercy towards our brothers and sisters, we tell Him no.

But yet, the Father's arms never fall. They never grow tired, for we can never exhaust the mercy of God. The Father's arms are open in a constant beckoning home.

This Jubilee Year is a particularly grace-filled time to return to the Father’s house.

Every time we make time in our day to sit with Him in prayer, we come home.

Every time we see Him in our brothers and sister, in creation, and in ourselves, we come home.

Every time we enter the confessional and trust in His mercy, we come home.

Every time we rejoice over His work in another’s life, we come home.

Every time we receive the Eucharist, we come home.

Every time we come home to the Father, we become like the Father. And to become like the Father is to become a home for the Father to dwell in us.

So, as we approach the end of this Jubilee Year, let’s ask ourselves: What parts of my heart need to return home to the Father? How can I begin that journey back to Him, trusting in His never-failing mercy?

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In this jubilee year, +Pope Francis invited each of us to be a pilgrim of hope. In this spirit, the Young Adult Initiative will publish monthly blogs related to the jubilee year and our role as pilgrims on the journey.