Gospel of John 6: 41-45 (Sunday August 12, 2018)
MY FATHER died on August 6 nine years ago from what was deemed to be a "diving accident." Death is something no one is really prepared for. It happened when I just recently returned to the seminary after taking a five-year break to work and experience the "world."
In the Catholic Church calendar, August 6 is celebrated as the Feast of the Transfiguration where Jesus' divinity is revealed to his closest disciples. His appearance changed before his disciples. At this moment, Moses and Elijah also appeared to the disciples to witness to the glory of Jesus. But a greater witness was Jesus' own Father.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all wrote that the voice of God was heard, confirming Jesus as his son (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:6, Luke 9:35). Peter and John make specific reference to the event in their writings, as confirming Jesus' divinity and his status as the Messiah (2 Peter 1:17, John 1:14). The voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved." This is just the second time Jesus' divinity and being a son was affirmed. The first time was at his baptism.
Jesus constantly referred to the Father in the gospel of John. In the gospel today, Jesus once again made reference to the Father saying, "No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me..." God always took the first initiative. He created the world and all in it. It was God who called Abraham and Moses. He invited the people of Israel to make a covenant with Him and become His people. He spoke through creation, prophets and kings.
In the New Testament, God did something different. In the letter to the Hebrews it is written, "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds."
In the person of Jesus, he is demonstrating to us that his relationship with us is one of love. God does not force himself on us. Love is synonymous to the person of God. Love does not impose. Love is free. God respects the freedom of his creation. We can move towards God or refuse and remain where we are.
When we allow God to draw us close to Jesus, we also become instruments of God drawing others to Jesus. But when we close ourselves to God, we can become obstacles for others to know Jesus or come close to him. Give God a chance. Allow him to transfigure and transform you to your true self, a child of God. God calls you out from the crowd, "This is my child, the Beloved."
But probably many of us struggled with our earthly fathers. And they (our fathers) could have also struggled with their own fathers. This is the source of many of our wounds growing up and affecting us until today. Coming to terms with our own fathers as sons and daughters is important to our mental health and maturity. I think it was no different in Jesus' time when fathers believe their wife and children are their own property just as many still believe today.
Growing up as the only son and eldest at that there were assumed and explicitly known expectations of me from my parents but particularly from my father. I did not relate with him well growing up because he was physically absent due to work and psychologically present in his authority and in his silent presence at home rarely talking about himself or expressing his feelings except for accepted "feelings" like anger.
There was disconnection between my own father and me. I had ambivalent feelings towards him. I wanted attention and love yet felt I had to prove myself to be loved. But now as an adult person things changed and a desire to relate to him suddenly became necessary and wanting but his sudden death further complicated the situation.
Richard Rohr said, "the relationship between fathers and sons is too deep for words and touches upon primeval and foundational longing."
One author claims that men grow from boyhood to manhood but in their journey, "every man carries a wound" that is both unheard because it is not spoken about and unhealed because what it is not accepted as existing. And most often it is called the "father wound."
Pope Francis in one of his many public addresses explained the difference between divine and human love. He noted that "the first step God takes toward us is to love us unconditionally and in advance. God loves us first. God does not love us because there is some reason in us that arouses love. God loves us because He is Love, and love by nature tends to diffuse itself, to give itself. God does not tie his benevolence to our conversion; if anything this is a consequence of God's love.
For love of us, God carried out an exodus from Himself, to come to find us in this moor, through which it was foolish for him to pass. God loves us even when we had strayed....Hope is from God the Father who loves us as we are: he loves us always and everyone.
