The Return of the Prodigal Son

This weekend I read Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son, a review on Rembrandt's painting.

He writes:
"To whom do I belong? To God or to the world? Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend inkeeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me.

As long as I keep running about asking: "Do you love me? Do you really love me?" I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs." The world says: "Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligents and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if produce much, sell much, and buy much." There are endless "ifs" hidden in the world's love. These "ifs" enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world's love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain "hooked" to the world--trying, failing, and trying again. It is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart."

I have often compared myself to both of the sons in the parable of the prodigal. Growing up and remaining for the most part in the Church, I have related frequently to the angry and self-righteous elder son. Nouwen pointed out the Father's longing for both sons to join the party and celebrate. Ultimately, however, Nouwen challenges that we are to become like the Father. We can easily identify with the sons, for they are broken and full of humanity's problems; but the call is for us to grow to become the Father with compassionate hands welcoming home each person.