The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

Herni Nouwen does a great job on decribing the parable of the prodigal son. A great book to read for someone who has had a friend or family member who has gone astray.

Henri Nouwen is continues on as an insightful and enlightening thinker/writer in this work. With his reference to the parable of the prodigal son as well as his own personal encounter with Rembrandt's painting by the same name, Nouwen opened my eyes to see so many more dimensions to both the parable and the painting.
Who am I like? The prodigal son? The older son? The father?
Also, the love that is displayed through the father's hands (i.e., the left being strong and muscular and the right being refined, soft, and tender) completely blew my mind.
After reading this, the meaning of the Return of the Prodigal Son extends beyond a parable of two dimensions and much more than a painting. It is a full-dimensional story of homecoming as we return to the love of God.

Tjis book was recommended by a Friend, I took a chance and will most likely pass the word.

I love this book. I could completely identify with all aspects of the Prodigal Son and Henri Neuwen is a great writer. I have read several of his books and find they help me deepen in my spiritual path, even though I am not a "Christian" in the fundamental definition.

This is my favorite book of all time. I work with teens in a second year confirmation program and bought a copy for them. As of yet, none have actually made any headway but my hope is that it remains on their shelves as a permanent part of their library and that someday they will go back and flip through, discover its worth and wisdom and reference it throughout their lives as I have.

I turn to this whenever I need some inspiration. It renews me the way a good mass does.