THE FACE OF THE FATHER

MY MEDITATION FOR THIS SUNDAY 24^th of ORDINARY TIME

Jesus shows us the Face of the Father in this age of grace

Meditating on the first, second and the gospel readings for today, I could not help but be impressed by the interconnection of the verses that reveals to us the face and nature of God whom we call “Our Father”.  I was led to think how the history of salvation teaches us in a most unique way.  It gives us a grasp of the relevance and the hidden message in our salvation history.  

In the Old Testament we saw God as the law giver, the righteous one, and one who seeks justice, the one who is all holy.  But despite of the zeal of the Lord, He showed Himself as the Most Merciful One.  A God who listens to the entreaties of His servant.  For as Moses interceded for the children of Israel fallen into idolatry, God heard His prayers.  In remembrance of His promises to the patriarchs, His heart was touched with pity and mercy for His erring people. 

Perhaps we can call the age of the Old Testament as the age of Law-Giving.  An age where God through his Laws teaches His chosen people, placing them under tutelage of the Law so that when the fullness of time should come, they, with an open heart will accept the message of His Salvation.  St. Paul explained to us that no one has fulfilled the Law, everyone has violated the Law and that everyone deserves condemnation.  No one has fulfilled the law because everyone is under the sway of original sin.  And Christ by His Saving works has fulfilled the Law and cancelled the punishment by His propitious sacrifice on Calvary.  For we are saved not by the works of the Law (because no mortal will ever be able to fulfil its requirements) but by faith in Christ that shows itself in good works.  Christ has summarized the entire Law into two.  LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF.   For as the Law came by Moses, so Grace and Truth came through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Thus upon seeing Christ walking in the desert, John the Baptist exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world.”  In our Liturgy this exclamation was immortalized, for in the canon of the mass this same words of John the Baptist is said.

In this age of grace, Christ has shown us that God is our Father, and that He seeks our salvation and never wishes our detriment.  All of us are called to conversion.  Like the prodigal son, the first step to conversion is the realization that we have sinned and transgress the Law of the Lord.  The second step is the humbling of ourselves, as we realized that we have lost that sonship by sin, we are willing to be treated like slaves, if only to merit the saving grace of God.  And here Christ has shown us that our Father is more than willing to accept us and receive us.  Even beyond our imagination. 

In this age we should experience the face of the Father more and more.  Life is a gift.  Our responsibility is to do something about it.  Though the grace of God is able to effect everything imaginable and even the unimaginable, yet it does not destroy our human nature.  We must command our will to follow Him and with our hearts entrusts to him everything.  Have we been good stewards of this grace? 

I am reminded of what Soren Kierkegaard, an existentialist philosopher has said, that our lives are our project.  We have the personal responsibility to order it for our own good and for the glory of God.  People fail sometimes.  But in our deathbeds is the end of this project. All we can do is to entrust ourselves into the merciful hand of God who will judge us and whom we expect to be merciful to us.

From the Old Testament to the New Testament, there is fine logical thread that shows us what the Father is.  In the Old Testament we saw God as the Creator, the Law Giver, and the Holy One.  In the New Testament Jesus has shown us that God is our Father, a merciful Father who seek not our destruction but our salvation.  He is an all merciful God willing to forgive and give everything to be reconciled with us His children.  But the eschatological themes of the New Testament also portray God as a judge where all of us must make an account. 

In this age of grace, let us seek the face of God always.  For He is our Father.  Our enemy the devil will always portray God as a stern God, and this devil will continually accuse us before God, but we should always be on our guard for he is like a roaring Lion seeking anyone to devour.  May Jesus our Lord lead us to the Face of the Father and receive abundant mercy. Amen.

Prayer:  Jesus, strengths of our hearts, ever draw us closer to the merciful Father, so that through thy wounds, as if a window, we can see the loving heart of God full of compassion, ready to accept and forgive.  Amen.