Charles Jordan

Fr. Nouwen posits that the ultimate lesson of the parable, and indeed the core message of the Gospel, is that we are to become like the Father. We are called to imitate the compassionate God that is disclosed to us as the compassionate father in the parable. 

At the end of each parable in Luke 15, the main character goes to their neighbors and says rejoice with me for that which was lost has been found. Think about how we, as the Church, are called to this rejoicing.

In th epainting, look at the father’s hands. The father’s left hand is masculine and grasps the son tight, whereas the right hand is feminine and rests gently on the younger son to comfort him as only a mother can.

What is the basis of the older son’s relationship with the Father? Is there any hope for the elder son?

Is repentance and reconciliation within the contemplation of the younger son? Does he anticipate any change in his relationship with the father? At this point in the story, has the younger son learned anything from his experience?  Do you agree with Fr. Nouwen that Jesus himself can be seen as the younger son?

In making his decision to return home, has anything really changed about the younger son? Is the younger son’s request simply driven by selfish desire or is he beginning to realize the true nature of his relationship with the father?

In reviewing the parable, we will look at (i) the historical context, (ii) re-tell the parable in a contemporay idiom, (iii) plumb the spiritual meaning, and (iv) place ourselves in the story.

The younger son is not merely wishing his father dead so that he can take ownership of his stuff, but to be cut off from what it means to be called a son in exchange for mere cash.