The book "The Return of the Prodigal Son", by Henri Nouwen: one of the best books ever written about this parable of Jesus. I highly recommend it. 

Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest; for many years a professor of psycology, spirituality and pastoral theology in different universities in Holland, France, Italy and the United States; for the last 10 years of his life the pastor for mental and physically handicapped people at the L’Arche Community of Daybreak in Toronto, Canada; and a writer who authored 39 books about spirituality. 

While visiting the original L'Arche community in Trosly-Breuil, France, he saw a poster of Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" that made a deep impression on him. He decided to see the painting personally and traveled to Saint Petersburg (Leningrad at that time) to visit the Hermitage Museum where it is kept. This resulted in a several day contemplation of the painting, and the book of the same name.