Of every human being there is not
something haphazard or chance, but a loving plan of God who is our Father.
YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the
Catholic Church Lesson 37
Ave Maria series
37. Why is God “Father”?
Several pre-Christian religions had the divine title
“Father”. Even before Jesus, the
Israelites addressed God as their Father (Deuteronomy 32:6; Malachi 2:10), realizing that he is also
like a mother (Isaiah 66:13). In human experience, father and mother stand
for origin and authority, for what is protective and supportive. Jesus Christ shows us what God the Father is
really like: “He who has seen me has
seen the Father” (John 14:9). In the parable of the
prodigal son, Jesus addresses the most profound human longings for a merciful
father. 511-527
“The memory of this Father sheds light on our deepest human
identity: where we come from, who we are, and how great is our dignity. Certainly we come from our parents, and we
are their children, but we also come from God, who has created us in his image
and called us to be his children.
Consequently, at the origin of every human being there is not something
haphazard or chance, but a loving plan of God.
This was revealed to us by Jesus Christ, the true Son of God and a
perfect man. He knew whence he came and
whence all of us have come: from the love of his Father and our Father.” Pope Benedict XVI, July 9, 2006
“Christ’s life, his
way of knowing the Father and living in complete and constant relationship with
him, opens up new and inviting vistas for human experience.” – Pope Francis’
encyclical letter “Lumen Fidei—The Light of Faith”
238-240
II. THE REVELATION OF GOD AS TRINITY
238 Many religions invoke God as
"Father". The deity is often considered the "father of gods and
of men". In Israel, God is called "Father" inasmuch as he is
Creator of the world. ( Compare Deuteronomy 32:6; Malachi 2:10.)59 Even
more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel,
"his first-born son".(Exodus 4:22.)60 God is also called the Father of
the king of Israel. Most especially he is "the Father of the poor",
of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection.( Compare 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 68:6.)61 –Catechism of the Catholic Church
239 By calling God "Father", the
language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of
everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness
and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be
expressed by the image of motherhood,( Compare Isaiah 66:13; Psalm 131:2.)62 which emphasizes God's immanence,
the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on
the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of
God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible
and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to
recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is
neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and
motherhood, although he is their origin and standard (Compare Psalm 27:10; Ephesians 3:14; Isaiah 49:15. )63 no one is father as God is Father.
–CCC
240 Jesus revealed that God is Father in an
unheard-of sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally
Father in relation to his only Son, who is eternally Son only in relation to
his Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."( Matthew 11-27.)64 --CCC
No comments:
Post a Comment