God in Power, Father in Goodness

Scripture: Luke 11:1-41 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread; 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."

Reflection: A father is an important figure in the life of a child, a source of security. When we were children as long as our fathers are present, we know everything will be alright. No one and nothing can harm us while he is around. And we can be sure that all that we need will be provided for. Even as adults, we still long for the security brought by our fathers. We often seek his strength, advice and wisdom in moments of doubt and fear. Even in schools, work places, organizations, sports teams, we look for father figures; mentors who we could lean on for guidance and inspiration. It is nice to know there is someone we could trust and depend on wherever we are.

When Jesus the Son came to the world, He revealed the full nature of God as Father. The Israelites of Jesus' time knew that God is their Father, but they did not dare call Him by that term. Jesus' revelation is so revolutionary that  He said we could even address God as "Abba", an intimate term for father just like "dad" in today's culture. You could just imagine the shock it created in those times. When Jesus was asked by His disciples about how to pray He taught them the Lord's Prayer. In the original Aramaic prayer He used the term "Abba", but it was later translated as "Father" probably to make it sound more formal. Imagine starting the Lord's Prayer with "Our daddy!"

If there is anyone truly credible to reveal the Father it is Jesus. He came from God and He is God. God from God, begotten not created, as we profess in our Creed.  Jesus certainly knew the Father intimately and anything He says about Him is the Truth. It is through Him that we are reborn and made adopted children of the Father.

God who is our Father, what a wonderful Truth! "God in power, Father in goodness" according to St. Augustine. If our earthly fathers or father figures make us feel secure, this Truth that our God is also our Father should drive away all fears. God who is almighty can absolutely do anything for the good of His children! He is our ultimate provider and protector.

God our Father is loving and merciful. In the many times we have disobeyed and disappointed Him, He still  patiently stands by us and encourages us to stand up from our fall . He is always there ready to forgive and give us a clean slate. He roots for us and runs the race with us pointing towards the finish line.

God is our Father and we are His children through grace. Let us be thankful for His great love and generosity in giving us the right to call Him Father. May we strive to live according to our nature as children of God.