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He put aside his own selfish desires. I chose to read this book because the parable of the Prodigal Son always bothered me. First was the idea that each character in the story was lost in his own way. What about the elder son.
God seeks me and wants me. He was the "good son". He did everything he was supposed to. The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen was a wonderfully spiritual book that spoke to my soul. Keeping in mind Rembrandt's own personality and fragility, his own interpretations were brought into the painting of the parable. Several aspects of the book struck me as important.
I choose to focus on the elder son and realize that Nouwen was correct in saying that resentment and bitterness, not to mention judgment and condemnation is damaging to the human heart. The key to leaving these fruitless emotions behind and moving back into the light is trust.
Having a snapshot of the time period further added clarity.I highly recommend this book to any person, Christian or seeker. It just wasn't fair that the younger brother could just come home after insulting his father by taking his inheritance, engaging in wine, women, and song as well as other debauchery.
I am His Beloved. And to what end.
His father killed the fatted calf and the party started the day the younger son realized the error of his ways.So I turned to this book for insight into the parable and into myself. Nouwen addresses each character in the parable, their weaknesses and their strengths, and ultimately if we are willing to look, we can see a piece of ourselves in the father, the elder son, and the younger son.An added feature that greatly enhanced the lessons learned and which I did not expect was the art history lesson.
Nouwen added insight to story and points the reader in the right direction; trust in Our Father who loves us and wants us regardless of our failings.
This book came to me in the best shape and it was so informative without being too intellectual. Found it hard to put down-- I have lent it to a friend who loves both Rembrandt and the parable of the Prodigal son-- Keep the good books coming.
This small book was another lamp in my journey to a Higher Power. Those of us who know that "to search" is the "finding" will truly enjoy this spiritual exercise.
A catholic friend of mine thought it was unusal for Cath the great, of Russia to have a Rembrant painting (the Prodigal Son} in the St Petersburg museum. The story is about the impact the painting and the picture affected the spirituality of the author--a religious man--The picture of religous old man and scrawny son. It is believ Jesus' brother.
In Rembrandt's portrait is well defined the characters of the three persons that inspire him for this painting of the Prodigal Son.
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