Home Tonight: Further reflections on the parable of the prodigal son

Author Bio: Henri J. M. Nouwen

Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) was ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He obtained his doctorandus in psychology from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands and taught at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard. He experienced the monastic life with Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Genesee, lived among the poor in Latin America with the Maryknoll missioners, and was interested and active in numerous causes related to social justice. After a lifetime of seeking, he finally found his home in Canada as pastor of L’Arche Daybreak where people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers live together in community. He wrote more than forty books on spirituality and the spiritual life that have sold millions of copies. His vision of spirituality was broad and inclusive, and his compassion embraced all of humankind.