Books for Lent: Henri Nouwen and the Prodigal Son
The message of homecoming and the unconditionality of forgiveness is powerful
Nouwen forces the reader to engage with the painting. It is on the front cover of my edition. But it’s on and in every page too. He asks us questions. Are we the prodigal son? Are we the unforgiving son? Are we the father? Why did Rembrandt make the painting’s focus the face and hands of the father, not the Prodigal Son, who’s face we see only obliquely? Who are the other figures and where is the son who stayed at home?
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