The Prodigal Son

Sitting in the Adoration Chapel recently, my eyes were continually drawn to a print of The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Rembrandt. There is much to contemplate within the scene, but on that particular day it was the prodigal himself I returned to again and again.

Broken, dirty, battered, he’d been shamed and brought low. And yet there is yielding peace in his very bones as he accepts his father’s embrace.

He has surrendered. He knows who he is and where he belongs. Every line of his body, the very profile of his face is eloquent with that acceptance.

He makes no excuses for his tattered clothing, the hole in his shoe, his bare head. Rather, he is open, and receives his father’s healing touch, his father’s blessing.

The beauty of this parable is that we see fragments of ourselves in each of the characters: the father who hopes, trusts, and forgives; the faithful son who questions the justice of the rebellious son’s welcome – and perhaps to some extent also questions his father’s love for him because he hasn’t been feted like this despite being ‘the good son’ ; the prodigal, who turned his back on all he’d been taught, and squandered what he’d been given (dignity and family as well as wealth).

Reflecting on the figure of the prodigal in Rembrandt’s beautiful painting, I understood that the same forgiveness and love he received is available to me, if I also have his trust and humility. Approaching the Father with honesty, making no excuses, and then accepting His mercy will bring true peace and joy.

Loving God, faithful Father,

You receive Your lost sheep with open arms. Grant us the grace to always seek You when we stray, for in You we have the fullness of joy and everlasting peace.

Amen.