Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. When have you experienced the love of God the Father?
2. What are some of the obstacles that keep you from knowing and experiencing this great love?
3. If your view of your Heavenly Father included some elements of the image presented in the article, e.g., stern taskmaster, a cop in the sky, and absentee father, how has the article helped to change that view?
4. In what way has your relationship with your earthly father helped or hindered your experience of your Heavenly Father’s love?
5. Are you willing to try the three-week journey to deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father and your experience of his love? Why or why not? If you are in a men’s group, share the fruit of this “experiment in the Spirit” at your next meeting. If you are not in a men’s group, consider going through the three-week journey with another Catholic man.
[Editor's Note: This article is the first in a series on the theme, “A Journey to Deepen Our Experience of Our Heavenly Father’s Love.”]
Is there a forgotten person of the Trinity?
I used to frequently read or hear Catholics say that the Holy Spirit is the forgotten person of the Trinity. However, since Vatican II, with the renewed emphasis on the Church’s need for the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, I think that this is no longer the case. However, I do believe there is a forgotten person of the Trinity. It is God the Father, our Heavenly Father.
Why do I believe this? Well, we know that Jesus loves us and died and rose again to free us from sin and death. We have no problem with seeing him as our loving and merciful Lord and Savior. We also know that through the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, we have the power to put to death the sinful influences of our flesh and live a new life as new creations in Christ.
But what about God the Father?
If our image of Jesus is one of love and forgiveness, what is our image of our Heavenly Father? Is it one of a stern taskmaster, a cop in the sky ready to punish us when we do something wrong, an avenger ready to rain down fire and brimstone on the wicked? Is it one of an absentee father who doesn’t take any interest in us? He leaves me alone. I leave him alone. Could it be that these views may be influenced by our relationships with our earthly fathers?
Let’s look at what Jesus said about his Heavenly Father. In John 14:9, he said that, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” In other Scriptures, here is how Jesus described his Heavenly Father.
Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19)
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
“He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:21)
“No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:27)
What do these Scriptures tell us about our Heavenly Father? They tell us that he is just like Jesus and is the most generous, merciful, kindest, gentlest, and loving Father we could ever have.
St. Paul tells us that we have all received the “spirit of sonship” (Romans 8:15). God the Father has adopted us as his very own sons, and our sense of dignity, worth, and even lovableness can flow from this astounding truth. Unworthy and undeserving though we are, we have been graced with a divine heritage that no one can ever take away from us. How do we claim this inheritance?
Three-Week Journey
For the next three weeks, we are going on a journey to deepen our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our experience of his love. We are going to try an “experiment in the Spirit.” Each day during this period, make it a specific point in your prayer to ask the Holy Spirit to bring you into a deeper, more intimate encounter with your heavenly Father. Ask him to overwhelm you with the knowledge that God truly is your “Abba” — your “Daddy” — a Father filled with kindness, mercy, and a gentle love toward you, beyond what any human father could possibly have.
As you make this prayer, watch for ways that the Spirit is changing your outlook on life. Look for a deeper confidence that you can go to your loving and merciful Father and ask him to free you from the fears, sins, or habits that may be holding you bound. Look for a greater sense of love for God the Father, something that flows out of your heart and lifts you up in the midst of challenges or setbacks. As you do this, you may find that there is a greater spring in your step. Perhaps you will find yourself smiling and even laughing more readily as this knowledge and experience of your Father’s love permeates every part of your being.
Let us not be robbed of the dignity we have as sons of a loving Father, a dignity that Jesus won for us on the cross. The victory is ours. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery . . . but you have received the spirit of sonship” (Romans 8:15). God the Father wants to restore you so that you can reflect his image. So run to your Heavenly Father and claim the dignity and love that is yours in him.
“Come, Holy Spirit, into my heart in a powerful way. Help me to experience the overflowing love that the Father has for me, so that I can love him in return and love others with his love.”
(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. Many thanks to the The Word Among for allowing us to adapt some material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine.)
SPECIAL NOTE: On the National Fellowship of Catholic Men website, we have created a new category: called, “SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR LOVED ONES.” This category has eight resources that are not just intended for Catholic men, but make great Christmas gifts for family and friends. The NFCM also offers twenty seven resources, as well as four training materials for starting and leading Catholic men’s groups. To access these and other resources, just click on RESOURCES or TRAINING. A variety of special free gifts are also being offered, between now and the first of the year for large orders (over $50 and over $100) and donations of $25, $50, and $100. Go to the NFCM website for more details. The NFCM is also offering a free commemorative magazine on the life of Pope John Paul II (while supplies last) and a free devotional magazine from The Word Among Us with every NFCM website order. In addition, we still have a Buy Three, Get One Free special on all resources ordered directly from the NFCM via the online shopping cart.
