When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” vss. 16-17a
Romans 8:15-17
The “Our Father” has been around from the beginning days of the Church. Paul makes reference to it as he writes to the Romans with assurances of God’s love. God is our Father, he tells them, maybe even our “Daddy,” and each time we pray the Our Father we are reminded that we are God’s children. For some the masculine imagery is off-putting, but Paul’s purpose in using it is to assure his readers that there is an intimacy in their relationship with the Divine Mystery. Not only are we God’s off-spring we are heirs of the promise–along with the Christ we will be resurrected and given new life. There’s amazing security in that promise. There is no need for us to fret and whine about our position in life–and there is absolutely no reason for us to be afraid of anything. As members of the family we are going to be taken care of, and nothing will be able to snatch us away from the love of God. And if our primary experience of nurturing self-giving love has been our “Mama” we might even think about using that image in our prayers too. Since God is more than male and female surely there’d be nothing wrong with occasionally offering up a few “Our Mothers”!
Thought for the Day: What’s the difference between a father’s and a mother’s love?
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