Healing our image of God's Fatherhood

Good News ReflectionWednesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary TimeJuly 15, 2009
Today's Memorial: Saint BonaventureThe prayer from my book for this is not available online; to order the book, please go to http://gnm.org/books.htm
Today's Readings:Ex 3:1-6, 9-12Ps 103:1b-4, 6-7 (with 8a)Matt 11:25-27http://www.usccb.org/nab/071509.shtmlUSCCB Podcast of the Readings:http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_07_15.mp3
Healing our image of God's Fatherhood
It is through Jesus that we discover what God the Father is really like. Otherwise, our heavenly daddy is obscured by the images of human fathers and other parental figures that we've known. Their flaws and failures, limitations and sins get unconsciously projected onto God as we try to perceive and understand our Creator.
Regardless of how wonderful they were, these people have been imperfect role models of what the Perfect Father is like. We see God the Father as the disciplinarian of the Holy Trinity. And because we assume that he's like the human fathers who pushed for better grades on our report cards, we think that God condemns us for our imperfections – even the smallest ones, even the mistakes that are not sinful.
Our human fathers loved us insufficiently, no matter how great they were as dads. And so we need to differentiate between human authority figures and the True Father. Only Jesus can show us what the True Father is really like, for as he says in today's Gospel reading, "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son reveals him." We should project Jesus – and no one else – onto the Father to perceive and better understand our Creator.
If we're doing our best to live a holy life, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Father becomes so real, so close to us, that we melt into his loving embrace. Trusting him becomes natural. All our fears, worries, anger, and the hurts of life dissolve in his arms.
Jesus has given you to the Father. And he gives the Father to you. You are no longer your father's child; you are your Father's child. The most loving, the most caring, the most powerful Daddy in the universe has adopted you as his very own.
Just as it was for Jesus the Son, you are a son or daughter who is meant to have a wonderful Father-Child relationship, unblemished by the imperfections and sins of human relationships. This Father is your Dear Papa, the only Fully Loving Parent (which includes all the nurturing traits of motherhood), and he believes in you. He not only loves you, he likes you. He appreciates you. The Father cries when you're hurting and comforts you in his big, secure lap. He knows how hard you've been working to improve yourself. He understands your shortcomings and has unending patience for you. He admires you for your efforts, even the failed ones.
Can you sense the compassionate closeness of this invisible Father? Can you feel his non-physical yet protective embrace? Can you hear him quietly reassure you that he knows how good you truly are? You know you need this. To experience it, prayerfully contemplate the differences between God and the imperfect humans you've known. Increase your prayer time to become aware that you're sitting in Daddy-God's love.
Note: This theme is furthered in my PowerPoint Presentation "Life in the Father", which is Part 2 of my parish evangelization retreat "Life in the Holy Trinity". To find out more, please visit http://catholicdr.com/TrinityRetreat
© 2009 by Terry A. ModicaFor PERMISSION to copy any of my reflections, go to:http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm
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