This week is so named because on Sunday of this week the parable of the Prodigal Son is read from the Gospel (Luke 15:11-32).
(Luke 15:11-32, according to Russian translation)
A certain man had two sons; and the youngest of them said to his father: “Father! give me the next portion of the estate.” And the father divided the estate for them. After a few days, the younger son, having collected everything, went to a far side and there squandered his property, living dissolutely. When he had lived through everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and accosted one of the inhabitants of that country; and he sent him to his fields to feed pigs. And he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate; but no one gave it to him. Having come to his senses, he said: “How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, while I am dying of hunger! I will get up, go to my father and say to him: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants." He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and ran, fell on his neck and kissed him. The son said to him: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
And the father said to his servants: “Bring the best robe and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it: let us eat and be merry, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.” And they started having fun. His eldest son was in the field; and, returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing; and calling one of the servants, he asked: what is this? He said to him: “Your brother came, and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received it healthy.” He became angry and did not want to enter. His father came out and called him. But he said in response to his father: “Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never violated your orders; but you never gave me even a kid so that I could have fun with my friends; and when this son of yours, who squandered his wealth with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him.” He said to him: “My son! you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours; and in this we had to rejoice and be glad, that this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.”
This week, in order to more vividly remind Christians of their distance from the heavenly fatherland and slavery to sin, the Church, after the psalms of polyeleos, sings Psalm (136), sung by the Jews in captivity in Babylon:
On the rivers of Babylon, there weeping and weeping, we will always remember Zion: on the willows in the midst of both are our organs. For there they asked us, captivating us about the words of the songs, and leading us about the singing: sing to us from the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the song of the Lord in foreign lands? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, my right hand will be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to my throat, lest I remember you, lest I offer Jerusalem, as at the beginning of my joy. Remember, O Lord, sons of Edom, on the day of Jerusalem, who said: exhaust, exhaust it to its foundations. Damned daughters of Babylon! Blessed is he who will reward you with your reward, even as you have rewarded us: blessed is he who has and dashes your babies against the stone. By the rivers of Babylon - there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion; We hung our harps on the willow trees in the middle of it. There those who captivated us demanded words of song from us, and our oppressors demanded joy: “Sing to us from the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, forget me, my right hand; cleave my tongue to my throat, if I do not remember you, if I do not put Jerusalem at the head of my joy. Remember, O Lord, to the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem, when they said: “Destroy, destroy it to its foundations.” Daughter of Babylon, desolator! blessed is he who repays you for what you have done to us! Blessed is he who takes and dashes your babies against a stone!