The parable of the Prodigal Son vividly shows us the immediately apparent teaching that there is nothing that God will not forgive, and we can never be too weak to begin repentance, which God will always react to and make us stronger. It also teaches, less obviously, but more importantly, the consequences of living outside the heart and how to live in the heart. As such, it is part of the preparatory sequence of Gospels for Great Lent, because all of Great Lent is a quest to live more in the heart.