How did this get started?
This all started when a prodigal son finally realized that he was a beloved son. But the next step was the hard step - to believe that he was and to live like a beloved son of the Father. As this prodigal son journeyed through life he went through waves of being close to the Father and being away from the Father. This prodigal son approached life in the hopes of pursuing the “American Dream” - to have a good paying job, beautiful and happy wife and kids, and not needing to worry about bills and other things. So when he finished college he went to graduate school. He worked in different fields and found some joy and happiness in them. But he soon realized something was missing. Once the noise settled and his friends and colleagues left his flat he felt a deep loneliness, and he was not happy. He did not know what to do about it, but he just knew that the life he was living was not a fulfilling one. “Lord, save me!” And so he began to search and to question. He turned to God. He went to Sunday mass. He prayed before meals. He prayed the rosary sometimes. But when he began to meet more and more people who believed in God, he started to grow deeper in his faith. He returned to when he was in grade school - so full of enthusiasm for Jesus. He began to pray more, even just a simple “I don’t know, Lord. What do you think?” throughout the day. Soon he began to remember the feeling he had as a child when he thought about the priesthood. And so he asked God the same simple question about that - “I don’t know, Lord. What do you think?” This prodigal son continued to ask God the same question about the same thought and feeling, and after spending five years in seminary, this prodigal son is now back out in the world asking the same question, hoping to bring the message of the Father’s love to anyone who would listen. This prodigal son is me: Philip Cheung. I am a prodigal son, but I am also a beloved son. And I can’t wait to share with you how God has worked in my life and I hope you will share the same with me.
Fr. Andrew Brownholtz
Fr. Brownholtz is the Pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Yardley, PA. He was ordained a Priest of Jesus Christ for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 2001.
Prodigal Son: Philip Cheung
“Beloved Son Ministry” started during my assignment at St. Ignatius of Antioch Roman Catholic Church in Yardley, PA while in the midst of the COVID restrictions, with the intention of trying to evangelize during these “isolated” times. I have most recently left seminary and I am currently a high school Campus Minister. Before entering seminary I spent some time working in the mental health, healthcare, and education fields. It has truly been a blessing working with so many people from so many different backgrounds. I have been blessed to have learned from so many unique individuals and families. My time in seminary has also been blessed — I lived with other men who were actively discerning God’s call to the priesthood and their witness to their faith is unbelievable. It is truly a gift, and a mystery. I am so very grateful. I will not say much about my story here as I hope to slowly share parts of it with you on this platform. In short, perhaps like many of you — I once only saw myself as the prodigal son, always messing up, not living up to God’s standards, and out of shame, staying away from Him. But now I also see myself as a beloved son of the Father. It is my “prodigalness” that enabled me to see my “belovedness” — the belovedness with which the Father looks upon me. You too are beloved sons and daughters of the Father. He calls you beloved — not matter what you’ve done, how long you’ve stayed away, how far you’ve strayed away, or where you’ve gone. The Father’s love for you is not dependent on any of those things. You are His son or daughter and you are loved. That’s all.