[Editor's Note: This article is the second in a series on the theme, “A Journey to Deepen Our Experience of Our Heavenly Father’s Love.” Click here to read the first article.]
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:14-15)
And not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23)
In love, he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will. (Ephesians 1:5)
As we continue our three week journey to have a greater knowledge of God the Father, and a deeper experience of his love, it may be helpful to start by reflecting further on the word “adoption” used by St. Paul in Romans 8:15, 23 and Ephesians 1:5. What does it means to be adopted sons of God the Father? Many of us may have a “Little Orphan Annie” picture of adoption: wistful waifs enduring a miserable life in an overcrowded orphanage hoping that someday ideal parents will whisk them away to a completely different life. We may have a similar view of salvation: We simply have to put up with the sufferings involved in having mortal bodies until the day when Jesus will liberate us for our true life in heaven with him and our Heavenly Father.
Although some orphanages bear an uncanny resemblance to Annie’s, many other children—especially in the West—are adopted by relatives or foster parents with whom they have already shared a home for an extended period of time. For them, adoption is a legal recognition of the reality they have been living: a family that gives them unconditional love, dignified responsibilities, and opportunities for growth.
Our position in Christ is much more like a good foster home headed by a loving father, than an orphanage from which we can’t wait to escape. Salvation isn’t simply a future reality. Experiencing God the Father’s love isn’t simply a future reality. They are something we began to experience when we were joined to Christ in baptism and continue to experience as His life grows in us and among us.
How can we best prepare for adoption? By living as if we were already a full member of the family. Let’s continue “our experiment in the Spirit” that we began last week by remembering each day when we first wake up, or before we go to bed, that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. By telling my Heavenly Father in prayer each day that I want to know and experience His love more deeply, more intimately. By opening ourselves in a greater way to receive this infinite, eternal love of our Father.
Of course, there may be days when our membership in the family of God and our experience of our Heavenly Father’s love may be difficult to discern at times. Parents and children working through a spirited disagreement may not realize how much they value each other. People involved in a laborious task may forget how far they’ve already come or where they’re headed. And yet day after day, our Heavenly Father is at work in us, not only calling us his children but longing to lavish his fatherly love upon all who turn to him. So take up your heritage today, and let his love flood your heart.
“Holy Spirit, I know that the life of Jesus is already at work in me. I know that you are already crying out ‘Abba! Father!’ deep within my heart. Help me to make this cry my cry each day. Father, I want to hear your voice. I want to know and experience your love and to live as a full member of the family of God. All praise to you, Spirit of adoption. All praise to you my loving Father.”
(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.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. If you entered into the first week’s “experiment in the Spirit” to deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father and your experience of his love, what fruit are you seeing from it?
2. How would you answer this question from the article, “What does it means to be adopted sons of God the Father?”
3. In what way can the “Little Orphan Annie” picture of adoption hinder our view of who we are as adopted sons of God? Has it hindered yours?
4. In the article, we read these words: “Experiencing God the Father’s love isn’t simply a future reality. They are something we began to experience when we were joined to Christ in baptism and continue to experience as His life grows in us and among us.” What steps can you take to continue the “experiment in the Spirit” we started last week, in order to allow God the Father’s love for you to become a greater reality in your life?
5. If you are in a men’s group, pray together the prayer at the end of the article, and continue to pray this prayer throughout the next week.
