Fourth Sunday of Lent: Found Again

Flannel Diaries
Mar 30
2 min read

“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.” – Luke 15:32

The fourth Sunday of Lent reminds us that grace is not earned—it’s offered. In this well-known moment from the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus reminds his listeners (and us) that God’s mercy doesn’t play by our rules.

We tend to focus on who deserves what. We want fairness, balance sheets, checks and consequences. But in this story, the son who wasted everything is embraced—not because he proved himself worthy, but because he came home.

To those immersed in liberation theology, this parable is not about blind acceptance—it’s about revolutionary grace. It’s about the God who disrupts hierarchy, forgives radically, and throws a party for the outcast.

And in today’s social climate, where punishment is glorified and forgiveness is seen as weakness, this parable pushes us to rethink what justice looks like.

Justice doesn’t always look like retribution. Sometimes, justice is restoration.

When we talk about the criminal justice system, immigration policy, housing access, or community harm—we must ask: who have we exiled? Who have we written off as too far gone? Who is still waiting to be welcomed home?

It’s easy to identify with the older brother in the story. The one who stayed. The one who did the “right” things. But Lent invites us to soften our hearts—to understand that sometimes healing comes from the messy return, not the perfect record.

Liberation means no one is disposable. No one is beyond redemption.

We are invited to celebrate not because someone followed the rules, but because they found their way back to life.