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15th out of 105 books
—
25 voters
The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming
A chance encounter with a reproduction of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son catapulted Henri Nouwen on a long spiritual adventure. Here he shares the deeply personal and resonant meditation that led him to discover the place within where God has chosen to dwell.
In seizing the inspiration that came to him through Rembrandt's depiction of the powerful Gospel story,...more
In seizing the inspiration that came to him through Rembrandt's depiction of the powerful Gospel story,...more
Paperback, 152 pages
Published
March 1st 1994
by Image
(first published 1991)
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Jun 21, 2008
Meghan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who don't usually like touchy-feely Christian books, but ought to give this one a try anyway
Using Jesus’ well-known parable and Rembrandt’s painting of The Return of the Prodigal Son, Nouwen performs a thorough and meaningful close-read, expounding on the spiritual roles of Father, Brother, and Son (or, more appropriately, Parent, Sibling, and Child, since Nouwen does not dwell on gender specificity). Divided into three main sections, the book describes each of these figures, drawing further insight from Rembrandt’s painting and corresponding events in the painter’s life. The discussio...more
Jul 24, 2008
Longfellow
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
five-stars,
faith-religion
So much of the time it feels like Nouwen is writing about my life as much as his own. So far, this is yet another example.
Beautiful book that for me needed to be soaked up slowly. 3-4 months for me to read 140 pages. After finishing, and claiming no expertise in the matter, I'm going to say all pastors should read this book.
Why? Because of this conclusion: "Our community is full of wayward and angry children, and being surrounded by peers gives a sense of solidarity. Yet the longer I am part of...more
Beautiful book that for me needed to be soaked up slowly. 3-4 months for me to read 140 pages. After finishing, and claiming no expertise in the matter, I'm going to say all pastors should read this book.
Why? Because of this conclusion: "Our community is full of wayward and angry children, and being surrounded by peers gives a sense of solidarity. Yet the longer I am part of...more
3 likes · like · see review
It is a book I read and appreciated, but have revisited often. This story was one I always disliked. It goes against my desire to be rewarded for doing good, and to see OTHERs punished for doing evil!
As I have revisited it -- I find myself moving through the Biblical characters, just as Rembrandt did...just as Nouwen did....
I caused me to explore Rembrandt's paintings and life, and it has given me a deeper insight into how art expresses the inexpressible, and how great people of faith have come...more
As I have revisited it -- I find myself moving through the Biblical characters, just as Rembrandt did...just as Nouwen did....
I caused me to explore Rembrandt's paintings and life, and it has given me a deeper insight into how art expresses the inexpressible, and how great people of faith have come...more
The author is a priest who has made a lifetime study of the parable of the prodigal son, in connection with the painting "Prodigal Son" by Rambrandt. Although there are a few points of doctrine that differ from my own faith, I learned from him as he explored how each of us can relate not only to the prodigal son, but to the older son who was not immediately willing to welcome home his brother and how each have to come to the Father and receive his embrace. My favorite part was the third section,...more
When I look at the list of current 'Christian' Bestsellers, I am often thrown into despair. Too often the books on those list are trite, inconsequential and aggravating. We seem to have lost the ability to think deep about our identity as Christians and our theological reflection is at all time low.
Ironically, that criticism may have aggravated Henri Nouwen, the author of The Return of the Prodigal Son. Nouwen would not want us to be critical and spends a good deal of this book addressing the c...more
Ironically, that criticism may have aggravated Henri Nouwen, the author of The Return of the Prodigal Son. Nouwen would not want us to be critical and spends a good deal of this book addressing the c...more
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Catholic priest and authour of several books, including The Wounded Healer, In the Name Of Jesus, and The Way Of The Heart. He taught at Yale and Harvard, then worked with the mentally challenged at L'Arche in Toronto, where he saw a poster of the Rembrandt painting that lends it's name to this book.
He was so moved by the painted figures and the emotions they expressed that he traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia to see the original. Seeing things in it that he hadn'...more
He was so moved by the painted figures and the emotions they expressed that he traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia to see the original. Seeing things in it that he hadn'...more
Priest, author and noted Harvard lecturer Henri J. M. Nouwen thought he had a firm understanding of Christian theology--until the day he saw a colleague's poster showing a portion of Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son. The image touched him so deeply that he traveled to The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, where he was able to spend four hours alone with the painting, quietly contemplating every aspect, every choice that Rembrandt made in its creation.
Consider this gorgeous paragraph: "Sitting t...more
Consider this gorgeous paragraph: "Sitting t...more
Feb 11, 2013
Bob
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christian-spiritual-formation
On a handful of occasions, a work of art has riveted my attention. As a college student, a painting in the Butler Museum of Art titled "In Flanders Fields Where Soldiers Sleep and Poppies Grow" by Robert Vonnoh had that effect as I pondered young girls picking scarlet red poppies in what had once been a killing field. For Nouwen, it was a portion of Rembrandt's painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son that had this same effect. Eventually he spent several days meditating upon the original and...more
Superb!!! "...the elder son ... has become a foreigner in his own house. True communion is gone. Every relationship is pervaded by darkness. To be afraid or to show disdain, to suffer submission or to enforce control. To be an oppressor or to be a victim: this have become the choices for one outside of the light. Sins cannot be confessed, forgiveness cannot be received, the mutuality of love cannot exist. True communion has become impossible ... everything loses its spontaneity. Everything becom...more
This was another recommendation from an acquaintance. I asked a Catholic priest I was talking to what book I should read if I was interested in understanding Catholicism. He recommended this book and so I read it. It is the description of the life lessons that Henri Nouwen learned from his contemplations on Rembrandt's famous "Return of the Prodigal Son" painting. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect since this book was well outside my normal genres of reading. Nouwen reads a lot like he h...more
I'd read the first half of this about a year ago and finally picked up the last half to finish it. It's a short book, but I think I would have been better off reading a section of it a year, with plenty of time to ruminate on each section. I'll definitely be picking this back up in a decade or so to see if I'm anywhere more ready for what he has to say in the later half.
Nouwen is a purposeful and focused writer. The entire book is an extended reflection on his own life based on the parable of th...more
Nouwen is a purposeful and focused writer. The entire book is an extended reflection on his own life based on the parable of th...more
A Beloved Priest's Last Great Spiritual Adventure - Who was Henri Nouwen? And why do we urgently need to hear his voice today? On The Return of the Prodigal Son, you will learn how a chance encounter with a painting by Rembrandt led this beloved Dutch priest and writer on the last great spiritual adventure of his life. Celebrated as the author of many books on contemporary spiritual life, Nouwen spent his final years ministering to handicapped adults before he died unexpectedly in 1996. In this...more
The Return of the Prodigal Son is a cross between an analysis of Rembrandt's painting "Return of the Prodigal Son" and a collection of meditations on the actual biblical story which can be found in Luke _________. Nouwen's starting poitn is a 198__ visit to a friend at _________ where he first sees a poster portraying Rembrandt's famous painting. The painting so moves Nouwen that he spends much of his life contemplating the painting and the parable it represents.
He begins the book considering hi...more
He begins the book considering hi...more
Sep 23, 2011
Phil Deschler
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Phil by:
Wife
This is an exceptional book describing God's unconditional love. The author uses Rembrandt's painting the Return of the Prodigal Son as a vehicle to give us an inside look at the parable of the Prodigal Son. He shows us that we are or could be the Prodigal Son, the Elder Son and the Father. Jesus upset the us rulers with a story of how a father would welcome home, forgive and celebrate the return of his way ward son. He also shows that those who are the elder son having difficulties with the fat...more
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
A Book Reaction
This book provided a glimpse into the depth of Henri Nouwen's soul. Hearing the story of how affected he was by Rembrandt's painting and how he sat in front of the actual painting during a trip brought flesh to a spiritual writer I've admired. Receiving the picture of this man sitting in front of a favorite piece of art and absorbing the vitality and meaning of the piece was a neat experience.
The essence of the book was the idea that e...more
A Book Reaction
This book provided a glimpse into the depth of Henri Nouwen's soul. Hearing the story of how affected he was by Rembrandt's painting and how he sat in front of the actual painting during a trip brought flesh to a spiritual writer I've admired. Receiving the picture of this man sitting in front of a favorite piece of art and absorbing the vitality and meaning of the piece was a neat experience.
The essence of the book was the idea that e...more
Enjoyed this very much. A few normal Nouwen oddnesses, but nothing that would throw you off if you are reading with a gracious eye.
Freud wrote an entire psychology that landscaped the modern soul with the scenery of the Greek mythos. Cradling the modern pathos in the Greek mythos has stunted the modern psyche with an oppressively small and self-centered imaginative landscape.
Nouwen goes a long ways in reimagining and reimbeding the imaginative landscape of the modern existential chutzpah into...more
Freud wrote an entire psychology that landscaped the modern soul with the scenery of the Greek mythos. Cradling the modern pathos in the Greek mythos has stunted the modern psyche with an oppressively small and self-centered imaginative landscape.
Nouwen goes a long ways in reimagining and reimbeding the imaginative landscape of the modern existential chutzpah into...more
"At least the 3rd time I have read this title by Henri Nouwen...and it was as fresh and inspiring as the first time. On a day not unlike any other, Nouwen visits a friend's home and is deeply moved by a reproduction of this priceless Rembrandt painting. The image is so powerful and soul-stirring that Nouwen is convinced that he must view the original work. A seasoned priest and spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen is no stranger to the nuanced movement of The Holy Spirit within him. He senses an over...more
This one is so good I've read most of it several times over, most recently last year for a sermon I was prepping on the parable. This remains among the best treatments of a layered and beautifully told parable.
Nouwen captures to breadth of the parable as few others do. The spiritual impact and beauty of the God revealed through this book is amazing. Nouwen is a great storyteller, and interpreter of stories. His impact on preaching and disciple making in immense. His approach may not be "scholarl...more
Nouwen captures to breadth of the parable as few others do. The spiritual impact and beauty of the God revealed through this book is amazing. Nouwen is a great storyteller, and interpreter of stories. His impact on preaching and disciple making in immense. His approach may not be "scholarl...more
Nouwen spent two days at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg contemplating Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son, a painting depicting the parable in Luke. I appreciated some of Nouwen's reflections, especially in regard to Rembrandt's life and Nouwen's. However, I took exception to seeing Jesus as the perfected younger son and perfected older son. I found his ideas on God the Father in chapter 8 so far from my Reformed position as to consider them demeaning of God. For instance, "God in her in...more
We used this book for a Sunday school study over a four-week period. Henri Nouwen's in-depth analysis of Rembrandt's painting in conjunction with the Bible passage and Nouwen's personal experiences provided a beautiful basis for group discussion.
I feel that Nouwen's search for love and acceptance is aptly expressed in the following passages:
I feel that Nouwen's search for love and acceptance is aptly expressed in the following passages:
The question is not "How am I to find God?" but "How am I to let myself be found by him?" The questions is not "How am I to know God?" but "How am I to let...more
I feel as though I should like this intimate personal reflection on the parable of the prodigal son and Rembrandt's visual interpretation of it by esteemed Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen, but it annoys me no end. I can't finish it. Nouwen seems so desperately needy and personally overwrought, he lacks enough critical distance to say anything illuminating for the outsider. I confess I don't have much patience with the "I'm not worthy of love/I'm unable to accept love" line, at least when people pr...more
I have now read this book three times, twice about 20 years ago and again now. I believe that I have matured a good deal and can therefore appreciate it even more. I remember being awed and a bit overwhelmed by it in my youth; I am totally awed and overwhelmed by it now. Simply put, it is a powerful work of spiritual insight and development.
Foremost among the things that make this book so incredible and indelible in its impact is the honesty of its author, Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Catholic priest wh...more
Foremost among the things that make this book so incredible and indelible in its impact is the honesty of its author, Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Catholic priest wh...more
Jan 16, 2009
Rachelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
i-want-to-own-this-book
What a beautiful book. This book has opened my eyes to the way the scriptures should be studied. For years and years, Henri Nouwen has studied the Rembrandt painting and scriptural parable "The Return of the Prodigal Son" and has found depth and truth and understanding that I have never drawn from the parable. In such a humble and unassuming way, Nouwen speaks of the younger son, the elder son and the Father. He allows himself to be put into each role and learns much as he compares his weaknesse...more
I enjoyed this book very much and really love Nouwen's conclusions about the Rembrandt painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son. Whether Rembrandt actually had Nouwen's interpretation in mind is difficult to say, but it is an interpretation I would wish for. His thoughts about the story are compelling and really make me look at the parable in a whole new light with which I feel much more comfortable. I, too, had fallen into the Elder Son's trap of jealousy & resentment when I first heard the...more
Nouwen writes about his fascination with the painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt. He examines Rembrandts' life, and why he might have portrayed the famous parable in this particular way (the was his second treatment of the subject, and very different from the first). He is so moved by the painting that he cannot help but see himself in it and in the trio of characters from the parable. This book is the inner reflection of a man I deeply respect - for his humble honesty, and f...more
If you are one who desires what it means to be the "Beloved of a Heavenly Father" you will enjoy this book. Henri Nouwen in reflecting on Rembrandt's painting the "Return of the Prodigal son" takes one on a journey through the stages of growing in our capacity to receive the love as a prodigal as well as to one day be able to give that love to others. In identifying the people portrayed in this amazing painting he takes the reader through three stages on our journey. First, our identifying with...more
I am giving this book three stars, and here are my reasons: 1) Nouwen writes a beautiful book. He has a very simple and yet profound way of expressing his thoughts. And the beauty of his writing encourages one to think outside of the box, even if what he is saying may not be agreeable to all 2) Passion. The book is semi-biographical, and it is especially interesting to read of his experience with Rembrandt's painting and the ways that it inspired him personally. Nouwen had a lot of passion for t...more
Stretching a critical reading of a parable that's only a little more than a page long is difficult. Nouwen's argument is interesting, however it feels as though he is trying to pigeon hole aspects he wants to believe through the painting, while sometimes forgetting who the audience is he's written the study for.
While the finest aspect is the author's critical insight is his conclusion about the older brother, he seems to still be stuck in this area as well. Too much of the book glorifies Nouwen'...more
While the finest aspect is the author's critical insight is his conclusion about the older brother, he seems to still be stuck in this area as well. Too much of the book glorifies Nouwen'...more
There were parts of this book that I really liked, and parts that I wasn't so sure about. Perhaps the best part for me was the focus on the elder son. I have always related to the younger son, but perhaps the attitude of the elder son is what I most need to fear in myself. I'm still trying to decide what about this book I agree with, and whether I should agree with the things that I currently don't agree with. I was sceptical in parts but later on I saw things from a different point of view and...more
Wow!!! Nouwen is so open & honest. He sums it up this painting as human expression of divine compassion.
Loved his encounter of 2 days observing the painting at the Heritage in Saint Petersburg & how the light at different times during the day changed what he saw in the painting. In his life (journey) Nouwen discovers himself in all 3 characters - the younger & older sons as well as the father -- which applies to us as well. There is so much more . . .
Check out Robert Morris great DVD...more
Loved his encounter of 2 days observing the painting at the Heritage in Saint Petersburg & how the light at different times during the day changed what he saw in the painting. In his life (journey) Nouwen discovers himself in all 3 characters - the younger & older sons as well as the father -- which applies to us as well. There is so much more . . .
Check out Robert Morris great DVD...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| about how a son took all his father moeny and spened it all then came back running to daddy | 2 | 18 | Jul 15, 2012 07:06pm |
Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen (Nouen), (1932–1996) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and writer who authored 40 books on the spiritual life.
Nouwen's books are widely read today by Protestants and Catholics alike. The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved, and The Way of the Heart are just a few of the more widely recognized titles. After nearly two decades of...more
More about Henri J.M. Nouwen...
Nouwen's books are widely read today by Protestants and Catholics alike. The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved, and The Way of the Heart are just a few of the more widely recognized titles. After nearly two decades of...more
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“Addiction" might be the best word to explain the lostness that so deeply permeates society. Our addiction make us cling to what the world proclaims as the keys to self-fulfillment: accumulation of wealth and power; attainment of status and admiration; lavish consumption of food and drink, and sexual gratification without distinguishing between lust and love. These addictions create expectations that cannot but fail to satisfy our deepest needs. As long as we live within the world's delusions, our addictions condemn us to futile quests in "the distant country," leaving us to face an endless series of disillusionments while our sense of self remains unfulfilled. In these days of increasing addictions, we have wandered far away from our Father's home. The addicted life can aptly be designated a life lived in "a distant country." It is from there that our cry for deliverance rises up.”
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28 people liked it
“For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work for others, read the Scriptures—and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to despair.
Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not “How am I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?” The question is not “How am I to know God?” but “How am I to let myself be known by God?” And, finally, the question is not “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?” God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home.”
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26 people liked it
More quotes…
Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not “How am I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?” The question is not “How am I to know God?” but “How am I to let myself be known by God?” And, finally, the question is not “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?” God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home.”
Mar 17, 2008 12:33am