There is an argument going on these days about whether or not God is a Father or Mother. Feminists say He (or She) is a woman. Revelation teaches us, through the words of Jesus Himself, that God is One, but also three Persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But to assert that God is a woman and mother is a statement showing a great lack of understanding of God. The Church teaches that God is a Spirit. What is a Spirit? First, let us say what a Spirit is not.
As a Spirit has no material and no body, God therefore has nothing material or physical. He has no length, nor weight, nor height; He has no hands, no eyes, no legs, no nose, no ears, etc. A Spirit has none of these things. So we return to the question.
Knowing what a Spirit is not, what, then, is a Spirit? A Spirit is a non-material being with mighty powers to think and will. And in God's case, these powers are Almighty, meaning there is no limit to His thinking and willing powers. Thus, He knows all things and can do anything (like Creation for instance) simply by the power of willing it. As a Spirit has no material, a Spirit has no sex difference whatsoever. Thus a Spirit is not a woman. God is not a woman.
Jesus reveals His Father to us. But this does not mean that the Father of Jesus is a human being of the male sex. God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — is a Spirit. The Father is Spirit, the Son is Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is Spirit — not three Spirits, but only one Divine Spirit, as there is only one God.
One God and one Spirit. Three persons, but one Divine Spirit.
When Jesus says that there is a Father above all it means that the Divine Son proceeds from — is begotten by — the Father as His origin. It does not mean that the Father has a body and a beard, like many human Fathers do.
For Christians, God's Fatherhood has a greater meaning than that the Son comes from Him, or that He is our Creator. He is our Father too. Once we are baptized we receive baptismal character and are impressed in the depths of our soul with the image of Christ. He becomes present in us and we are united with Him. Scripture speaks of this as our grafting into Christ, our becoming one in Him. The consequence of this oneness in Christ is that His very own Father is now ours as well. As we become adopted sons in the real Son, we now have the same Father as the Son has.
Fr. Sullivan, M.J., is a priest with the Miles Jesu order. Miles Jesu is an Institute of Consecrated Life dedicated to promoting reverence to the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to Our Lady and faithfulness to the official teachings of the Church. For information on Miles Jesu and its Seminary Program, please call 1-800-654-7945 or visit their website.
