Mercy Shines Forth
One of the most impactful and thought-provoking images that I have witnessed in my lifetime is Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son. This painting, which has been put to good use in my classroom when discussing the Sacrament of Confession and the mercy of God the Father, truly reveals Divine love. It has often been helpful for me in times of trial, when I find myself once again seeking the mercy of God the Father.
Rembrandt, well known for his depiction of Bible stories and events in Greek and Roman history, created every painting to be a statement of faith. Rembrandt had a gift for presenting humanity as it truly is, deeply flawed and in need of saving. He used the technique called chiaroscuro, which uses a dark background to contrast the light striking figures in his work. The interplay between the light of truth and the darkness of sin produced deeply meaningful artwork, showing Rembrandt’s unique ability to reveal the human heart in his work. (Curtis, Lang, and Petersen, 123-124).
This image conveys the love of the Father, as the light which highlights the prodigal son scatters the darkness he once lived in his life of excess. So, too, the relative darkness that the brother remains in, hidden in the background, conveys a man who sits in judgement and wallows in resentment and pride. Details such as the father in the foreground convey his rushing out toward the son, highlighting God’s desire to share his endless mercy with us, no matter what sins we have committed.
The beauty that is found within this simple scene, perfectly conveys the unconditional love of the Father. This painting opened for me what it meant to love as a father, revealing to me the love and relationship my own father and I shared, and more importantly drew me closer to the heavenly Father.
Being a father myself, I see the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke’s Gospel in a new light. I see it calling me to convey that same love which God has for me and my father showed me, with my own children. A love that is never withheld, which rushes out to meet us, and always awaits its humble reception.
Too often do we, myself included, fail to accept the love that God so desperately desires to share with us. In the greatest act of love the World has ever seen, God sent his own Son to humbly accept the cross in redemption of our own fallen humanity. God sent Jesus Christ, the Light, into the world to shatter the darkness of sin which had plagued the world since the Fall; a Light which broke the shackles of sin, and provided for us a redemption impossible by our own hands.
Rembrandt captured all of this in a simple painting, which spoke such volumes through the use of light, revealing the truth which exists in the heart of every human being.
