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The Return of the Prodigal Son #1

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

henri j.m. nouwen

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The Return of the Prodigal Son Henri Nouwen 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 rare archival session, Nouwen shows how, like the prodigal son, we find ourselves today in a "distant country" where we spend our lives searching for love where it can never be found. Nouwen explores the "mystery of homecoming," into the embrace of an all-loving, all-forgiving God who is both mother and father. Enriched with many stories from Nouwen s remarkable life as a theologian, a peace-worker, a pastor, and a seeker.

null pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1991
Series
The Return of the Prodigal Son

This edition

Format
null pages, Hardcover
Published
January 1, 1992 by Darton Longman and Todd
ISBN
9780232520026
ASIN
023252002X
Language
English
Characters More characters

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About the author

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henri j.m. nouwen

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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 teaching at the Menninger Foundation Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, and at the University of Notre Dame, Yale University and Harvard University, he went to share his life with mentally handicapped people at the L'Arche community of Daybreak in Toronto, Canada. After a long period of declining energy, which he chronicled in his final book, Sabbatical Journey, he died in September 1996 from a sudden heart attack.

His spirituality was influenced by many, notably by his friendship with Jean Vanier. At the invitation of Vanier he visited L'Arche in France, the first of over 130 communities around the world where people with developmental disabilities live and share life together with those who care for them. In 1986 Nouwen accepted the position of pastor for a L'Arche community called "Daybreak" in Canada, near Toronto. Nouwen wrote about his relationship with Adam, a core member at L'Arche Daybreak with profound developmental disabilities, in a book titled Adam: God's Beloved. Father Nouwen was a good friend of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.

The results of a Christian Century magazine survey conducted in 2003 indicate that Nouwen's work was a first choice of authors for Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy.

One of his most famous works is Inner Voice of Love, his diary from December 1987 to June 1988 during one of his most serious bouts with clinical depression.

There is a Father Henri J. M. Nouwen Catholic Elementary School in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
27(27%)
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36(36%)
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100 reviews All reviews
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JonGall
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Esta es la revisión que más me ha costado escribir. Por que lo que diga no reflejará lo que este libro puede transmitir.
He disfrutado tanto leerlo y he aprendido tanto sobre cómo puede ser mi relación con Dios, que recomendarlo es poco, yo te diría que lo leas, y lo leas ¡ya!. Que lo medites y que te lleve a mirar a tu interior.
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PostPunkTea
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Prachtig! Diep geraakt door de manier waarop Nouwen de gelijkenis van de verloren zoon zo dichtbij brengt. Mooi ook hoe het schilderij en het leven van Rembrandt een rol spelen in het boek. Zeker een aanrader!
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Shinganai
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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absolute banger if you fw God. it’s also really cool to just see how much meaning can be extrapolated from one painting. beautiful book!
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Thepriceyoupay
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I had read a couple books by Nouwen before this, and I’d say I was already a fan then. After finishing this, undoubtedly I’d put him in my top 5 favorite authors. “Return of the Prodigal Son” provided me comfort and affirmation, as Nouwen explored the hearts of the prodigal son, the older brother, and the father mentioned in the parable told by Jesus. Each reflection was deep, contextualized with Nouwen’s own experiences and his visit to Rembrandt’s painting. Before reading, I hadn’t spent much time thinking about the role of the older brother, but now I’d say I empathize with him most. What Nouwen does best in my opinion is point the whole book towards becoming the father. Surely I’ve thought about being a biological father, but I now come away with a fresh insight and gratitude about becoming a spiritual father to others. Great read!
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Hinatara
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I really ate this up once I got to the middle chunk.
Beautiful truth about the reality of the prodigal story relating to each one of us.
The Father is always eagerly waiting for us return to his embrace.
Very encouraged.
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ThePlotDemandsIt
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Father Nouwen's book forever changed me and the way I understood this parable of forgiveness, love and our relationship with God, the Father. I first read this book in 2001 and was amazed to discover the richness and depth within the simple story told by Jesus, and also grateful to be introduced in such a profound way to Rembrandt's famous painting which adds layers of meaning to this amazing parable about the vital aspects of Relationship.

Henri J.M. Nouwen—priest, author, teacher, renown public speaker and witness for Christ—wrote The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming in first person narrative and it is very much a personal testimony, which only seems to add to the value and weight of it, at least for me.

Recently I listened to the book on CD with a friend on a long car drive and—once again—I was struck by all that Nouwen drew out of a seemingly simple story. So was my traveling companion, although her comment was, “I look and see a nice painting. He looks and sees so much more.”

Although not the six star book from my first experience, it was still incredibly rich the second time around. Would that I could overcome the Younger and Elder Sons in me to learn to love as the Father does.
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