Dankbaar dat ik dit boek heb mogen lezen. Een heel bijzonder werk dat zo diep ingaat op het bijzondere schilderij van de verloren zoon. Henri Nouwen is zo eerlijk, hij vertelt hoe hij zich in de jongste zoon herkent, maar ook in de oudste zoon. Voor de oudste zoon is er ook nog een keuze in het verhaal! Tot slot komt Nouwen tot het inzicht dat hij zelf een vader moet worden wanneer hij thuisgekomen is in de armen van zijn vader. Zijn handen zijn hem gegeven om ze uit te strekken naar allen die lijden. (Citaat van laatste bladzij).

Definitivno knjiga koju se treba pročitati više puta. Preporučam od srca!

Book #9 in 2022

I have had this book on my library shelf for years, maybe even decades. But as I came once again to the story of the prodigal son that Jesus told, I decided to finally pick up Nouwen’s classic.

Needless to say, this book has caused me to love Rembrandt’s painting more, and to love the original story more that inspired him to paint it. I gained many insights into this story that I thought I knew so well.

For example, many of us love the story of the prodigal sons because we often feel like prodigals who have wandered far from home. Jesus’ teaching that the Father’s embrace means there is always grace greater than our sin has melted our hearts.

But Nouwen says the painting and the story behind it also invite us to consider ourselves as the older, dutiful son who is full of resentment. And lastly, we’re invited to see ourselves growing like the Father who embraces the lost with radical forgiveness and wants to celebrate with them.

There were a few places that caused me to raise my eyebrow in confusion, like when he says the appearance of the younger son is infant-like, and so he is returning to the womb of the mother (???). To me that is totally reading into the painting something Nouwen wanted to see, and then he imports this into the original story.

So why the 5 stars?

For me, a 5 star rating means that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will read it again. I was amazed at some of Nouwen’s insights into this story I thought I knew so well. Parts of this book soar and moved me emotionally and spiritually.

El autor de esta pequeña obra cargada de espiritualidad fue un sacerdote católico llamado Henri J. M. Nowen (1932-1996). Este sacerdote utiliza la parábola bíblica del Hijo Pródigo, así como el cuadro de Rembrandt (1606-1669) llamado El Regreso del Hijo Prodigo para desencadenar una serie de reflexiones e interpretaciones que nos llevan por un camino espiritual que conduce al dolor, al perdón y a la generosidad.

Su planteamiento lo hace desde tres puntos de vista: el del hijo arrepentido que regresa al hogar paterno, el del hijo mayor un tanto resentido y finalmente el del padre generoso.

Las interpretaciones visuales que hace del cuadro de Rembrandt también son muy interesantes y detalladas.

Ok I’ve really been struggling to finish this the past few days because I have so many thoughts on it. I was so excited for this book and I really wanted to love it. Pages 37-44 had already changed my life like a year ago (shoutout Lily) and since then I’ve fallen in love with the parable of the prodigal son and have done so much praying with it. Let me start with this: I WISH to high heaven that this book had had some kind of seal or imprimatur. Right from the first 10 pages I was like “well, he’s a priest so I guess he knows what he’s talking about right?” Wrong. There was so much misleading language (and honestly the end was becoming essentially heretical. Ask me if you want specifics and I will oblige) and it really went from a nice, spiritually rich view of the prodigal son, to a drab, repetitive, long-winded personal blog post that I really cannot be convinced was written in a right state of mind. It really started to feel like the author was writing his own gospel, and if anything it blurred my understanding of the parable significantly. In full transparency, of all people to spend minutes (not hours, I’m not that cool) looking at art and continually revisiting it, praying with it, and trying to discern it’s meaning—I’m your gal! But this—he just went too far. The comparisons made and the conclusions jumped to were probably closer to the term subjective than the actual Merriam-Webster definition of the word. And while I have no personal bias against being able to publish a collection of personal reflections and anecdotal experience, I am greatly disappointed that this work is presented as being an authority on the subject.
That being said, I strive not to remain blind to my faults, and fully acknowledge that my heart very well may be less hardened the next time I read this, maybe even to merit another star. To conclude, the only reason this is not one star is because that is the lowest possible rating, and those seven pages are worth better than that.

This portrait of God's love for his children is one of the most moving books I have ever read. Like all of Jesus' parables, the truth is revealed one layer at a time, and Nouwen's reflections on this famous parable peel these layers back to the very core. Like me, you might wonder if you ever really knew the story of the prodigal son to begin with. Everyone asks why there is suffering in the world, and while this book touches on that age-old question, the bigger (but very-related) question that surfaces is this: why do we continually refuse the all-encompassing, world-altering, arms-wide-open, love of our Father?

3.5-4 stars

This took me some time to read and it’s not Nouwen’s fault at all. I’ve just never read anything like this before! It felt heady so I am glad I took the time to slowly digest its goodness. This book discusses the characters in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and painting The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt. Truly the last bit about the father is written so profoundly. I almost slowed to a snail’s pace the last fourth of the book just savoring the thoughts page by page in Part 3: The Father.

While reading the history of the painting and of the artist’s life was one of the key interests at the beginning of a somewhat slow start, I found it hard to digest some of the off the wall extrapolations taken from the painting. But then again, I’m not an art fanatic or historian. I appreciated how this book stretched my usual reading genres and I savored the moments I held and read its pages.

A favorite quote: “Oh, how much would he [the father] have liked to talk to them, to warn them against the many dangers they were facing, and to convince them that at home can be found everything that they search for elsewhere. How much would he have liked to pull them back with his fatherly authority and hold them close to himself so that they would not get hurt. But his love is too great to do any of that. It cannot force, constrain, push or pull. It offers the freedom to reject that love or to love in return.”

“Now I realize the real sin is to deny God’s first love for me. Because without claiming that first love and original goodness for myself, I lose touch with my true self and embark on the destructive search among the wrong people and in wrong places for what can only be found in the house of my Father.”

“The reward of choosing joy is joy itself.”

“Can I accept that I am worth looking for? Do I believe that there is a real desire in God to simply be with me?”

“Each time we touch that sacred emptiness of non-demanding love, heaven and earth tremble and there is a great “rejoicing among the angels of God.” It is the joy for the returning sons and daughters. It is the joy of spiritual fatherhood.”

What a beautiful meditation this book was in all the ways we are both the younger and elder son in Christ’s “Prodigal” parable, and what’s more, how God calls us to be the father??!? Mind-blowing, humble, merciful, and gentle, this book was a wonderful reminder of the way God loves us so dearly, and a magnificent encounter with Rembrandt’s ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ with all of its abundant and radiant genius!

EN LAS PALABRAS DE JESÚS Y EN LAS PINCELADAS DE REMBRANDT SE PERCIBE UN ECO DE ETERNIDAD. Emerge una verdad inextinguible, una invitación serena a explorar la esencia más profunda de nuestra alma. Henri Nouwen (Países Bajos, 1932-1996), con una pluma sensible y una mirada introspectiva, nos invita a explorar la Parábola del Hijo Pródigo (Lc 15:11-32) a través de la lente de uno de los cuadros más conmovedores de la historia del arte.

Este libro no es solo un análisis de un texto bíblico ni una guía para comprender el arte. Es una experiencia transformadora que desvela lo que somos, lo que buscamos y aquello que debemos dejar atrás para regresar al hogar. Un hogar que no es un lugar, sino un estado de reconciliación y plenitud en Dios.

LA FUERZA DE LAS PARÁBOLAS: "MI PALABRA NO PASARÁ"

Las parábolas de Jesús tienen una característica única: son atemporales. Lo que en un primer momento fue dirigido a escribas y fariseos, hoy resuena con una claridad impactante en nuestras propias vidas. Como si Jesús, desde el siglo I, hablara al lector moderno, revelando las contradicciones de nuestra alma y el anhelo de redención que llevamos dentro.

La reflexión de Nouwen sobre esta parábola se entrelaza con su análisis del cuadro de Rembrandt, añadiendo una dimensión visual que nos enseña a mirar. En sus palabras y las pinceladas del artista, encontramos una doble revelación: una invitación a comprender a Dios y, al mismo tiempo, a entendernos a nosotros mismos.

DE LA PARÁBOLA AL LIENZO: UNA OBRA QUE DESPIERTA EL ALMA

Aunque Nouwen introduce algunas cuestiones que pueden suscitar debate —como la ocasional referencia a Dios como "madre"—, lo nuclear de su mensaje es profundamente ortodoxo y relevante: la parábola es un modelo de vida cristiana.

En este sentido, el libro funciona como un espejo. Nos muestra cómo estamos atrapados en patrones de orgullo, resentimiento o egoísmo, y nos guía hacia una transformación que comienza con la humildad de reconocer nuestra necesidad de regresar al Padre.

Como complemento, esta obra puede equipararse a libros como n  El Arte de Recomenzarn de Fabio Rosini, pues ambos proponen caminos prácticos y espirituales para iniciar nuevas etapas en la vida.

TRES TRAZOS PARA PINTAR EL ALMA

Nouwen divide su análisis en las tres perspectivas que estructuran la parábola: el hijo menor, el hijo mayor y el padre. Desde cada una de ellas, el lector encuentra claves para interpretar su propio viaje espiritual.

1. EL HIJO MENOR: LA RUPTURA Y EL REGRESO

El hijo menor simboliza la tentación de dejar atrás lo esencial para buscar placer, poder o reconocimiento. Al final, este viaje lejos del hogar nos deja vacíos, enfrentándonos a una soledad desoladora. Si estás en una encrucijada vital —cambiando de trabajo, proyectos, amistades o pareja—, este libro te ayudará a discernir y tomar decisiones desde una perspectiva de reconciliación interior.

Clave espiritual: La herida más profunda de nuestra vida es la pérdida de nuestra identidad como hijos amados de Dios. Regresar al Padre no es un acto de mérito, sino de confianza en Su misericordia.

2. EL HIJO MAYOR: EL RESENTIMIENTO SILENCIOSO

Aunque más sutil, la perspectiva del hijo mayor es igual de reveladora. Si, al igual que Pedro en el lavatorio de los pies (Jn 13:4-17), te resulta difícil aceptar muestras de amor incondicional, es posible que tengas más en común con el hijo mayor. ¿Cuántos de nosotros vivimos como el hijo mayor —y como Pedro— atrapados en el cumplimiento rutinario de normas, pero incapaces de aceptar el amor incondicional de Dios? Este personaje encarna el orgullo, la autosuficiencia y la tendencia a juzgar a los demás desde una pretendida superioridad moral.

Clave espiritual: Abrirnos al amor de Dios exige reconocer nuestra vulnerabilidad. La verdadera santidad se mide, además de por nuestras obras, por nuestra capacidad de recibir Su gracia.

3. EL PADRE: LA PLENITUD DEL AMOR

La identificación con el padre es una llamada a la madurez espiritual. Nouwen nos invita a dejar de lado nuestras inmadureces y abrazar una paternidad espiritual que da sentido a nuestras vidas. Como en Jn 21:18, llega un momento en el que debemos aceptar que la vida nos llevará por caminos inesperados, y que esto forma parte de un plan mayor.

Clave espiritual: Ser padre significa amar sin esperar nada a cambio, como Dios nos ama. Es un amor que reconcilia, da libertad y vence incluso el miedo a la muerte.

CONCLUSIÓN: UN LIBRO PARA CADA ETAPA DE LA VIDA

El Retorno del Hijo Pródigo no es un libro que se lee, sino que se vive. Cada página está impregnada de la lucha de Nouwen por encontrar el sentido último de la existencia, y al hacerlo, nos guía hacia una comprensión más profunda de nuestra propia historia.

Es una obra que dialoga con las grandes preguntas humanas: ¿Quién soy? ¿Qué busco? ¿Dónde está mi hogar? Y, como toda gran literatura, no da respuestas fáciles, sino que nos anima a emprender el viaje de regreso.

Cuando te sientas perdido, cuando luches contra la amargura o temas el paso del tiempo, este libro será como la luz de una lámpara que brilla en la noche (Mt 5:15-16). Porque al final, todos somos hijos pródigos, esperando escuchar las palabras del Padre: “Todo lo mío es tuyo” (Lc 15:31).

This short book contains reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal son, focusing in turn on the younger son, the older son, and the Father. I have heard some of the insights in homilies before, others were new for me. Good to reread and ponder.

I received this book as a gift from a dear friend. And it may be one of the more important books I've read year to date. There are some books that a person reads, and it is just the book that person needs to read at that moment. This was one of those books for me. It may not be the book someone else needs to read today, but it will probably be a book you will need to read someday.

Nouwen's book is simultaneously autobiographical and devotional. But, it is more than just a devotional book on the Biblical parable of the prodigal son; it is a devotional book on Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son as well. There are three sections, each dealing with one of the brothers or the father. Nouwen takes you through the life of each of the character, considering it from the character's perspective, Rembrandt's perspective, his own perspective, the reader's, and finally Jesus Christ's.

I found myself moved by much of the book. There were portions of it that, upon reading, I would have to stop reading just to consider further what he had said to me. That doesn't happen often, if at all, for me while reading a book. In fact, so moved was I by this book, that I now own a print of Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son and have it hanging in my home.

This is a must read, I just don't know when you must read it.