Fourth Sunday of Lent: The Parable of the Lost Son

This Sunday, March 30th, is the Fourth Sunday of Lent. The gospel is the story of the Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32). The Fourth Sunday is called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word for “rejoice,” symbolizing joy and celebration amidst the somber season of Lent.

We are halfway through Lent. How is your Lent going for you? If you are struggling, remember that tomorrow is a new day and an opportunity to start over. Don’t give up! Make tomorrow your “Day 1” of Lent and recommit to getting closer to God.

Fourth Sunday of Lent: The Parable of the Lost Son

The “Parable of the Lost Son” is one of Luke’s Chapter 15 stories. The “Parable of the Lost Sheep” and the “Parable of the Lost Coin” precede it in the gospel. The theme in the stories is something is lost; they search intensely for it and rejoice once it is found.

The story of the Parable of the Lost Son begins with Jesus at the table with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees begin to complain:

‘”This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So, to them, he addressed this parable. Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

The Son Returns

As the son returns, the Father sees him from a distance and runs out to him to greet him:

“So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.”

The Brother’s Reaction

Upon returning from the field, his brother hears all the commotion and asks what is happening:

“He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father I n reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”

What Does It All Mean?

We make bad choices in life. We have relatives and friends and know people who make bad decisions. These are terrible situations, especially if your children are the ones who make bad decisions. We all want to save them from bad things happening to them, but we must remember that this is their journey and not ours. This is how God feels as He watches His children, all of us, make these bad choices and suffer the consequences.

The Father in the parable is joyful when his son returns to him. He forgets about the past and welcomes his son home with open arms. This is how God welcomes us back when we repent from our sins and come back to Him. He welcomes us back to Him with open arms, forgiving our sins, rejoicing, and celebrating.

The brother is upset when he finds out the Father has welcomed his brother back after all the brother has done. He refuses to come in and celebrate. The Father pleads with him to come inside and celebrate as his “brother was lost and now is found!” Many people can relate to the brother’s feelings, but remember that being with God, we have everything that God gives us. The lost do not. We are all encouraged to appreciate that we have everything we need with God.

Please let me know your thoughts about the article in the Comments section.

Peace