Reading: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Reflection: One evening, when we were driving back home from a visit, our youngest son, who was 5 years old, looked up at the beautiful starry sky and asked, “Who put the stars in the sky?” My wife replied, “God, son.” After a very short pause, our little boy said, “God sometimes puts them, and sometimes he doesn’t.”
Christians have always believed in the fatherhood of God in the sense that he is the author of all Creation and the source of life. From monumental mountain ranges to tiny snowflakes. From vast galaxies to mysterious neutrinos, subatomic particles that move at speeds close to the speed of light. From the smallest bacterium to the crown of his creation – man. He is the Father God from whom all things originate and to whom all things return.
Christians also believe in God, who is not only a father but also a dad. He is the God who has an intimate relationship with his children, full of care and love. Abba (dad) – Jesus and his peers called their fathers that at that time. Dad rejoices in every moment spent with his children. He is the parent who stands by them as they grow up, helps them when they encounter difficulties and watches over them in illness. He is finally the one who is always ready to sacrifice himself for each of his children.
This brings us to the last thing I want to say today, which is that our God is love. When I think of God, it is perhaps most incredible to me that God’s omnipotence chose to reveal itself in the example of true, genuine fatherhood. Our heavenly father is not just some distant parent who expects his children to fulfill his personal ambitions. He gave us the freedom of will to enjoy him and everything he created – if we choose to do so. And we know full well what we chose and where it brought us. In the chaos of our choices, dad never stopped loving us. He who cares for sparrows and wildflowers, and to whom nothing can happen without his knowledge – He who knows the number of hairs on our heads – did not stop loving us. When we had to pay the price for our pride, every failure, mistake, and sin, and the damage we caused – he personally paid it.
Realizing all this, I say that, although I enjoy having such a dad in heaven, I want to respect him as a father, and then bend my knees before him and deeply worship him as the Almighty God.
Prayer: Father, thank you for your presence that I can feel at this moment. Thank you for being with me through all my wanderings. Thank you for showing your love by paying the price for the damage I have done. I enjoy being your child when I feel your embrace and when I can say, “Father.” I want to respect you as my Father by obediently following your commands. I kneel before you without words that could describe you, contemplating the magnitude of your being. I remain in awe of your presence, giving you the glory and honor that you deserve.
1 John 4:8; Matthew 10:29-31
Photo by Sergio Otoya on Unsplash