How important is it to have a correct image of God the Father and his love for us? I believe it very important. Why? Because I believe it can have a major impact on our relationship to him and to others. Henri Nouwen, in his book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, tries to convey the great love of God the Father for us through the father in Jesus’ parable, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Nouwen notes that this parable could also be called “The Parable of the Father’s Love.” Here are two excerpts from the book that illustrate the great love of our Heavenly Father for us.
Our God does not compare. Never. Even though I know in my head that this is true, it is still very hard to fully accept it with my whole being. When I hear someone called a favorite son or daughter, my immediate response is that the other children must be less appreciated, or less loved. I cannot fathom how all of God's children can be favorites. And still, they are. When I look from my place in the world into God's Kingdom, I quickly come to think of God as the keeper of some great celestial scoreboard, and I will always be afraid of not making the grade. But as soon as I look from God's welcoming home into the world, I discover that God loves with a divine love, a love that cedes to all women and men their uniqueness without ever comparing.
Here lies hidden the great call to conversion: to look not with the eyes of my own low self-esteem, but with the eyes of God's love. As long as I keep looking at God as a landowner, as a father who wants to get the most out of me for the least cost, I cannot but become jealous, bitter, and resentful toward my fellow workers or my brothers and sisters. But if I am able to look at the world with the eyes of God's love and discover that God's vision is not that of a stereotypical landowner or patriarch but rather that of an all-giving and forgiving father who does not measure out his love to his children according to how well they behave, then I quickly see that my only true response can be deep gratitude.
What are the images you have of your Heavenly Father and what is their impact on you? How is this image affected by your relationship with your earthly father? These and other questions are explored in the Reflection Questions that follow this article.
(Maurice Blumberg is Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men. This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel. Contact NFCM at P.O. Box 86381, Gaithersburg, MD 20886 or e-mail them at info@nfcmusa.org. If you would like to make a contribution to the NFCM, just click here.)
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. It is possible to have negative images of God the Father and his love for us as sons, for example, as a Cop in the Sky, Harsh Judge, or an Indifferent, Absentee Father. We can also see God the Father as he truly is: an all-loving and merciful Father who delights in being with his children and pouring out his love upon us. How does your image of God the Father affect your relationship with him and others?
2. What do you think these words of Henri Nouwen mean? “I cannot fathom how all of God's children can be favorites. And still, they are.”
3. Henri Nouwen contrasts two images of God the Father: 1) “a landowner, as a father who wants to get the most out of me for the least cost” and 2) “an all-giving and forgiving father who does not measure out his love to his children according to how well they behave.” What is your image of God the Father? What impact does it have on how you live out your Christian life?
4. How is your own image of God the Father affected by your earthly father and your relationship with him? Reflect on this a moment. If it has a negative impact on you, and you are in a men’s group, take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for healing and also that you would be willing to forgive your father where needed.
