Customer Reviews

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

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Having "The Genesee Diary" many years ago, and upon learning of Nouwen's untimely death, I was surprised to learn that he had written over 30 books. I was, and continue to be, overwhelmed by hearing his talk on "The Prodidgal Son." This represents a magnificent synthesis of his lifetime of searching. The fact that his cascade of insights is triggered by the painting of a fellow Dutchman, Rembrandt, and a searching soul as well, is remarkable. Because Nouwen is both priest and psychologist, I found his insights to be even more pointed and thought-provoking. When listening to this tape while driving, I have often pulled off the road because I was stunned by his cutting right to the core of so many issues. This could only come from a lifetime of struggling.

Native Americans believe in the healing power of stories. Jesus was, among other things, a story teller. Nouwen tells his own story of going out and returning, using the prodigal son parable as a framework, in these talks. This is truly a warm, wonderful, and deeply human volume. I highly recommend it.

The lives of Rembrandt and the author take vivid shape before the mind's eye of the reader as Henri Nouwen tells the history of Rembrandt's painting. Rembrandt's famous canvas is inextricably intertwined with the story of the painter's own life and, as the author movingly shares, Rembrandt's experience was so powerfully human that it transcends generations and centuries and resonates clearly with contemporary women and men. The Return of the Prodigal Son may be said to be much more than the story of a painting; it is a beautiful story of love conveyed by Rembrandt through his painting.

In as much as love may be considered both human and spiritual, the reader is invited in to the intimacy of two men's deeply human and profoundly spiritual journeys though life. Despite life's suffering and bitterness, the author and the painter share their reasons for maintaining a firm grip on hope and inner peace. This is wonderful jewel of a book that has yet to be discovered and appreciated for it full worth - at least judging by its sales rank.

The spiritual genious, Henri Nouwen, carves on paper an enlighting personal experience of Love. By contemplating Rembrandt's masterpiece; "The return of the prodigal son", the author reveals an aparently hidden road to happiness, and impells us to follow his steps towards a deep conversion. It is our own story, one of a long journey away from the Father, pursuing things that keep us far from his motherly womb. He offers always his gentle and healing embrace. Let us walk along with Henri Nouwen towards our home, our Peace, and our true Joy, to the arms of this everforgiving Father.

I found this book very moving. It changed how I think about the story of the Prodigal Son, and how I think about my own spiritual journey. Highly recommended. If you read the Genessee Diary and related to Nouwen's personal reflections there, you will get even more out of The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Nouwen's meditation on the Gospel parable and Rembrant's painted depiction of the Return of the Prodigal Son is amazing. Touching the heart with his honest and transparent identification with each of the three figures central to the story.

This book provides beautiful insights into the spiritual, intellectual and emotional struggles that accompany the various stages and experiences of embodying each of the three figures (Father, Older Son and Younger Son).

This is a book that is approachable and speaks to all. I highly recommend it.

This is my favorite book of all time. Through sharing his painful experiences and his soul searching, Father Nouwen invites the reader to begin to experience the embrace of the all loving Father. He asks us to begin our journey to our own homecoming. I have read this book several times and each time brings new spiritual insight.

This was my first Fr. Nouwen book and I found it extremely enlightening and personal. His ability to draw out the message of Rembrandts painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son and place the reader in each of the roles was thorough and effortless. He successfully draws you into the painting by methodically pointing out significant yet often overlooked details. Using those details he discusses how he personally fit the roles of the three main players - young son, elder son and the Father. He coaxes us to do the same and in doing so, your Christian journey is opened up to show how we also reflect each role in our lives. A great spiritual read - you will not be disappointed.

This was a fantastic book if you like fine art. Nouwen does an indepth study of Rembrants painting of the prodigal son. It makes the art piece really meaningful. The interesting thing is that Nouwen focuses a lot of attention on the older son and his envy, a view that I had never had before.

This is a lovely book, written by the late Henri Nouwen. As with all of his books, it is powerful and encourages self-reflection in light of the gospel. It's a "keeper" for re-reading. (Try putting yourself in the role of each of the persons in Rembrandt's painting of the Prodigal Son.)

This book must be among the best of Henri Nouwen's writing. In it he gives some very deep and penetrating insight into the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and its illustration in Rembrandt's painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son. Nouwen shares with the reader the meaning he found for his own spiritual journey in studying the painting; how it illuminated the ways he was like the younger son, the elder son and how he felt called to be more like the father. Readers may see similar parallels in their own lives. This is a very helpful book. My own poster of this painting now hangs on the wall of my study.

Perhaps the most helpful thing I gained from this book is the way Nouwen pointed out how the attitude of the father toward each of his sons is the same. He loves them both equally--but uniquely. He says or does nothing that compares or contrasts them with each other. The elder son has been loved by his father in ways that he has failed to notice or has taken for granted. He is bitter for not getting the kind of treatment that his brother has, but each has been loved in ways that the other has not. There is no competition for the father's love as far as the father is concerned. Each son needs to be loved differently, not identically, but also not unequally.

I think perhaps Nouwen makes a bit too much of the difference between the father's hands in the painting (though they do look different)--one being a mother's gentile, consoling hand; the other a father's firm, grasping hand--in order to illustrate that God (represented by the father) is both Father and Mother. That God is beyond gender is indisputable. But, rather than depersonalize the image of God by exclusively using genderless terms of reference or trying to make it "inclusive" of attributes commonly attributed to male or female human beings, I prefer to stick with the conventional generic masculine attribution. That Jesus didn't flinch in doing this while being very accepting of women and men does not seem to me to be a weakness in his understanding of God, whom he called "Abba" ("Father"). Nouwen's idea of a return to the womb in order to be "born again" in this context (p. 100) seems a bit strange. I thought that Jesus remarks to Nicodemus (John 3:3-8) were that the idea of crawling back inside our mother's womb to be born a second time was not the point. The image of a womb may not be appropriate to the means of being "born of the Spirit".

Nouwen sees our ultimate destination not as sons or daughters of God, but to be more like God ourselves. Trying to remain in the role of children offers us to much of an excuse for dependency and our inability to be like a father or mother to others. He sees Jesus call to "be compassionate (some translations read "perfect") your heavenly Father is compassionate" (Matt. 5:48), to be the fulfillment of our destiny as heirs of the Father (and "joint heirs with the Son" - Rom. 8:16-17). The implication is that we must eventually take responsibility for caring for others; to desire and to offer the same kind of love and compassion for others that God does so far as we are enabled by his grace to do so. Jesus came to fulfill the roles of both the younger son (without rebelliousness) and the elder son (without resentment). He shows us what the Father is like and we are to find our example in him. To be like Jesus is ultimately to become like the Father.