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Sacred Heart School of Theology's
English as a Second Language Program
GOD IS OUR FATHER
Leszek Poleszek, S.C.J.
(Poland)
In the long tradition of the Church, many people have asked about the reason for Jesus coming to Earth and about the essence of his mission. It is possible to mention many reasons: the fulfillment of the eternal plan of God, the redemption of His people, and the revelation of the immense, eternal love of God for all people. We come to these affirmations based on our consideration about the life and activities of Jesus.
I would like to consider a fragment of a Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, where the apostle explains Jesus' mission:
But when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father'. So, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Gal 4, 4-7).
According to St. Paul, the ultimate and deepest purpose of the terrestrial mission of Jesus is to restore God's affiliation to all people; this means that all people are the children of God, and so we are able to develop our humanity completely, and to reach the ultimate purpose of union with God, our Father.
What does it mean that God is our Father? For Jesus, God is His Father in the most intimate and personal way. The word 'Abba' in the prayer Our Father means his very own Father. Its use in this prayer is equivalent to using the word 'Dad'. We remember well that Jesus in all His prayers referred to God as 'Father'. So, in Jesus we see a deep trust in his Father.
For St. Paul, raised in the Jewish tradition, discovering the affiliation of God completely changed his image of God. God is not inaccessible; instead, the God of Jesus Christ is our genuine Father, full of goodness and love. Like St. Paul, we can learn from Jesus that God is our Father.
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