Don't forget to call
“Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.”
In the Gospel, the Pharisees are appalled that Jesus would refer to God as “Father,” because he was making himself an equal with God. Not only does Jesus called God his Father, but he invites us to do so as well when he teaches his disciples (and us) how to pray.
Most of us have grown up with this image of God as a parental figure, but do we really take that to heart? I have to admit, I have had a hard time referring to God in such familiar terms. Even as I have grown in my faith over time I have had a hard time calling Jesus my friend because it used to sound a little hokie to me when I said it out loud. I love Jesus and I know that I am loved, but it always felt strange for me to talk about God in such familiar terms.
During my 30 day Spiritual Exercises in the first year of the Jesuit Novitiate, this finally changed. Throughout the 30 days of silence I felt invited more and more into relationship with Jesus and by the end of the retreat I felt that I could genuinely call Jesus my friend. This shift in relationship took time and effort. It especially required me to spend time talking to Jesus.
Talking about God as a parent is a perfect analogy in many ways, but one that just dawned on me is that our relationships with our parents often change and evolve over time just like our relationship with God. When I was younger, my parents were authority figures. They dictated the laws of the house and gave out punishment when those laws were broken. (Much like the God of the Old Testament, when the Israelites were still children in their faith). When I was a teenager I thought I was smarter than my parents and too cool for them too. (Newsflash: I wasn’t smarter or cooler than my parents!) Sometimes in my own stupidity and anger I said things to my parents that I know hurt them, and yet they continued to love me just as much. Today, I turn to my parents like friends. We have our inside jokes. They know me well enough to tell me to go for something or to hold back. I look forward to telling them about my days, my hopes and dreams.
My relationship with God has followed closely with my relationship with my parents and those relationships have been forged through time and effort. God continues to call us deeper into this relationship and Lent is the perfect time for us to develop our own unique and beautiful relationship with God.
Of course, one thing is essential for growing in our relationship with God. Just like our parents, God loves it when we remember to call.
Author: Tucker Redding, SJ, Theology Department, Advancement Department
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.”
In the Gospel, the Pharisees are appalled that Jesus would refer to God as “Father,” because he was making himself an equal with God. Not only does Jesus called God his Father, but he invites us to do so as well when he teaches his disciples (and us) how to pray.
Most of us have grown up with this image of God as a parental figure, but do we really take that to heart? I have to admit, I have had a hard time referring to God in such familiar terms. Even as I have grown in my faith over time I have had a hard time calling Jesus my friend because it used to sound a little hokie to me when I said it out loud. I love Jesus and I know that I am loved, but it always felt strange for me to talk about God in such familiar terms.
During my 30 day Spiritual Exercises in the first year of the Jesuit Novitiate, this finally changed. Throughout the 30 days of silence I felt invited more and more into relationship with Jesus and by the end of the retreat I felt that I could genuinely call Jesus my friend. This shift in relationship took time and effort. It especially required me to spend time talking to Jesus.
Talking about God as a parent is a perfect analogy in many ways, but one that just dawned on me is that our relationships with our parents often change and evolve over time just like our relationship with God. When I was younger, my parents were authority figures. They dictated the laws of the house and gave out punishment when those laws were broken. (Much like the God of the Old Testament, when the Israelites were still children in their faith). When I was a teenager I thought I was smarter than my parents and too cool for them too. (Newsflash: I wasn’t smarter or cooler than my parents!) Sometimes in my own stupidity and anger I said things to my parents that I know hurt them, and yet they continued to love me just as much. Today, I turn to my parents like friends. We have our inside jokes. They know me well enough to tell me to go for something or to hold back. I look forward to telling them about my days, my hopes and dreams.
My relationship with God has followed closely with my relationship with my parents and those relationships have been forged through time and effort. God continues to call us deeper into this relationship and Lent is the perfect time for us to develop our own unique and beautiful relationship with God.
Of course, one thing is essential for growing in our relationship with God. Just like our parents, God loves it when we remember to call.
Author: Tucker Redding, SJ, Theology Department, Advancement Department
Comments
Post a Comment