Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius April 3, 2015 Spiritual Ponderings Prodigal Son
For the month of April, I would like to reflect with you on one of the greatest stories in the Bible which also happens to be one of the greatest religious paintings of all times, and happens to be the title of one of the great spiritual books of one of my favorite spiritual writers Henri Nouwen: the story of the Prodigal Son.
The Prodigal Son is of course the story from Luke’s Gospel (15:11-32). This parable inspired the Dutch painter Rembrandt to paint a beautiful masterpiece in 1669. One art historian describes the painting as follows:
In the painting, the son has returned home in a wretched state from travels in which he has wasted his inheritance and fallen into poverty and despair. He kneels before his father in repentance, wishing for forgiveness and a renewed place in the family, having realized that even his father's servants had a better station in life than he. His father receives him with a tender gesture. His hands seem to suggest mothering and fathering at once; the left appears larger and more masculine, set on the son's shoulder, while the right is softer and more receptive in gesture. Standing at the right is the prodigal son's older brother, who crosses his hands in judgment; in the parable he objects to the father's compassion for the sinful son.
Fr. Henri Nouwen spent many days reflecting on the story of the Prodigal Son while staring at the painting. He then went forth and wrote a great book that many consider to be one of the best spiritual books written. Quotes from his book will be in bold and my commentary will be in regular font.
Henri Nouwen begins his reflection on the painting by reflecting on the role of men in the back ground that you can barely make out. He refers to them as the observers for all they seem to do is sit back and witness everything that is going on.
As I reflect on my own journey, I become more and more aware of how long I have played the role of observer. For years I had instructed students on the different aspects of the spiritual life, trying to help them see the importance of living it. But had I, myself, really ever dared to step into the center, kneel down, and let myself be held by a forgiving God? Many of us want a deep relationship with God but are we willing to take the steps necessary to develop that relationship. It is easier to sit on the sidelines and Monday morning quarterback than take the chance and get on the field to play.
But giving up the somewhat safe position of the critical observer seemed like a great leap into totally unknown territory. I so much wanted to keep some control over my spiritual journey, to remain able to predict at least part of the outcome that relinquishing the security of the observer for the vulnerability of the returning son seemed close to impossible. The prodigal son had no idea how the Father was going to respond when he went back to Him. Are we willing to give up control over our spiritual journey in order to return to the father? One way to do this is to get rid of the idea of a just world theory or karma. Bad things do happen to good people and this is important to admit because we cannot practice our faith just in the hopes that bad things will not happen to us. We practice our faith because we hope and pray that God will bring good out of the evil or bad that happens to us.