Henri
Nouwen, in studying the famous Rembrandt painting “The Return of the Prodigal
Son” thinks he has discovered the mother-figure in the deeps shadows of the
painting. She is almost entirely lost,
without any of the light which illuminates Father and Younger Brother, the face
of Older Brother, or even the reflected light on the seated figure who may be a
servant. She is almost invisible; I had
to spend some time looking at a copy of the painting for some time before I
even found the person Nouwen describes.
The
maternal aspect is also found within the father figure. Both Father Nouwen and Brandon Scott in his
work Hear Then the Parable speak of
the actions of Father as being more mother-like than paternalistic. It is interesting that Scott entitles the
chapter in which the parable of the Man with Two Sons is discussed as “I
Remember Mama.” He connects the loss of human food, the need to eat hog slop to
survive, the abundance of the hired hands’ meals, and the feast following the
wastrel’s return with the nourishing role of mother-hood.
“A subterranean movement in the story has
associated nourishment with a maternal theme.
He goes on, “The father combines in himself the maternal and paternal
roles. As a father he is a failure, but
as a mother he is a success. It is his
forgiving, nourishing character that has entranced generations of hearers and
readers.” (p. 122)
Not
all of us had perfect mothers; in fact, there are very few mothers who could
live up to that measure. The June Cleaver
image from Leave it to Beaver fame of
the 1950’s is a myth, and was even when I was growing up. Psychiatrists and psychologists, beginning
with Freud, have traced the ills of individuals—and with the world--with the
misdeeds of mothers. This latter-day
science could rephrase a saying quoted in the Hebrew Scriptures as “The sins of
the mothers are visited upon the children to the fourth generation.”
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| The Newborn by George de la Tour |
If we
are to take Genesis 1:27 as a true statement, “So God created humankind is his
image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them…,”
and if Father in the parable represents God, why should we be surprised to find
both paternal and maternal features represented? Even in our “enlightened” culture, we are
still just a bit uncomfortable with feminine attributes attached to God. For some, to speak of God as “She” or even
feminine is both heresy and anathema.
And yet saints of the Church, including Julian of Norwich, and Jesus himself,
have done just that, Julian speaking of God our Mother and Jesus referring to
God as a hen gathering her chicks.
I
encourage every reader, male and female, to read him or herself into the role
of Mother in the parable. Read it again
and make yourself the unnamed, invisible mother. What is it like to know that your younger son
is about to embark on a journey away from family, community, hearth and
home? To whom do you turn in the
loneliness of the months and years of absence from this child? How do you respond when Younger Brother
suddenly returns? And what do you do
when Older Brother refuses to “come home?”
I pray that you might discover some new insight into the story out of
the experience of your own life, from the relationship with your mother,
however that was lived. Can God’s love
be the exact healing you need to redeem any shortcomings, yours or hers?
As we
prepare for Advent IV—Annunciation Sunday—remember we are celebrating the
Mother of God, in Greek Theotokos, and
her “Yes” to God’s call upon her life.
How does Mary inform you of God’s love, nurture, and care for you? Does this young maid fit at all into the
parable? More questions than answers,
but isn’t that Jesus’ way?
I ma new to this discussion, so it may have been said before but I believe Nouwen also saw the mother in one of the hands of the father in the Rembrandt painting. The hands are painted differently - one looks more masculine and one more feminine. When I study that painting now, I wonder how do those differently gendered hands bless? Does the differentness make a completeness?
ReplyDeleteAmy+, welcome to the discussion and thanks for your comment. Please give your full name next time. It's part of our effort of creating a safe space for all to comment.
ReplyDeleteKatie Sherrod
I am among the lucky ones who has always known that regardless what I might do, my mother would always welcome me home. With my father, however, it was different. I was sure that if I disgraced the family, he would not. The mother-love, father-love categories. However, in my father's last years, I remember discussing this question with him; he was very surprised, and I realized then that no matter what I might have done, my father would always have welcomed me back. I have grown up with someone in my family who simply could not forgive. But I also grew up with his witness to a love greater than I imagined. God sets the bar high for us, but no higher than my own father did. I have seen that divine love lived out in flesh-and-blood. I know it is possible, with God's help.
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