For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
The squishy vision of fatherhood conjured up by most sentimentalist religosity is closer to the little butterball of a Sultan in Disney’s Aladdin than to the image of the Father presented in Scripture. To say that such a harmless little guy wuvs us is not a revelation but simply a warm fuzzy. But to say that the God of Israel loves us and bids us call Him “Father”–that is like being kissed by a thunderbolt. Glory be to the Father!
Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.
