I do not know who invented Father’s Day and why it is celebrated in the month of June. In any case, as a father, I just thank God for Father’s Day!
The mother of my children, Thelma, will probably dispute this, but I think Fathers make the most influence for good or bad on the future of a child, especially on a son. They say too that a person’s relationship with God as Father largely depends on that person’s relationship with his/her father on earth.
With these thoughts, I would like to start the month of Fathers with a reflection on the Fatherhood of God.
The Prodigal Father
When I reflect on the fatherhood of God, the first thing that comes to mind is the story of Jesus as related by St. Luke regarding a Father and his two sons. It is a story of a single parent family, a father and two sons. It is one of Jesus' best-known and probably best-loved stories. It is full of psychological insight and theological depth. It can get many of us going, particularly the sons among us.
It begins by being a story of a son, about the younger son deciding that he can't wait to get his inheritance. "Why not ask for it now?" he thinks, and does and gets it but spends it all and ends up working at a pig farm. While there, Jesus tells us that he came to himself. He had one of those moments when his mind was clear. He knew what to do: go home, say you're sorry and get a job as a hired hand on Dad's farm. So he rehearses his speech and heads home.
Then Jesus shifts and it becomes a story about the father. The father does not act like a patriarch should. He does not act like a fellow who has been dishonored. The father does not ask for an accounting of how the son spent half his fortune. The story of the prodigal son becomes the story of the prodigal father who is extravagant in his affection. This is not a story about human fathers anymore. Nor is it a story about patriarchs. It is a story about God. With this story, Jesus has shown us the face of God whose unconditional love is ready to accept us with open hands even after we have sinned against him; a God who is ready to meet us with an embrace even before we can say anything.
Then there too is the Father’s response to his eldest son’s reaction of resentment and anger: "When this son of yours comes back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you throw him a party." The Father reconnects with his eldest, while not apologizing for the way he dealt with the youngest. Whoever he is, the message is the same. He/she is always, always welcome home. Sure there may be some among us who will roll their eyes when they see a prodigal brother/sister coming back, but God as the Father loves them too no matter what.
Henri Nouwen’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son”
In talking about the story of the Prodigal Son, I cannot help but refer to the small book of the well-loved spiritual writer. The book is based on his contemplation of Rembrandt's great painting of the same name which hangs in The Hermitage in
The following is an excerpt that I thought might encourage you to read the whole book. What makes it interesting is that it speaks of God not only as a Father, but also as a Mother, of God’s masculine as well as feminine qualities.
"Often I have asked friends to give me their first impression of Rembrandt's Prodigal Son. Inevitably, they point to the wise old man who forgives his son: the benevolent patriarch.
"The longer I look at 'the patriarch', the clearer it becomes to me that Rembrandt has done something quite different from letting God pose as the wise old head of a family. It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The father's left hand touching the son's shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the prodigal son's shoulder and back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is a gentleness in the way the father's left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.
"How different is the father's right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son's shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother's hand....
"As soon as I recognized the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a feminine hand. He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she consoles. He is, indeed, God, in whom both manhood and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are fully present. That gentle and caressing right hand echoes for me the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you. Look, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
1 comments:
thanks for this Tito...you know...i didn't understand what the priest meant in his homily about the prodigal father....thank you for explaining it so well here....btw...this is Mina...
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