Our Father Is A Father
by Fr. David M. Knight
March 19, 2024 Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tuesday (Week V of Lent)
Lectionary No. 543
2 Samuel 7:4–16; Psalm 89; Romans 4:13-22; Matthew 1:16-24
"I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me." 2Samuel 7:14
What does it mean to be a father? David says of God (Psalm 89), “You are my father… the rock, my savior!”
David didn’t know about God making us his real children by grace. He just meant God would treat him in every way a father would. This is how Joseph was father to Jesus. And because of his care for the holy family, Joseph is named the “patron of the universal Church.” He is foster father to all who are sons and daughters of the Father “in Christ” today, just as he was to the unique Son of the Father on earth.
David called God his “rock.” Our fathers—biological or adoptive—are the foundation on which we stand in society. They give us our name, an identity to live up to, a relationship out of which to relate to others. And God our Father does this for us, more radically than our earthly fathers.
Think about it.
David called God his “savior”—in the way that having a father saves us from all sorts of destructive behavior and errors; provided we respect, listen, and obey. Our Father does this for us too.
If we know God as Father, people should be able to find us, as Mary and Joseph found Jesus, “in our Father’s house.”
ACTION: When you say “Our Father,” Think about what it means.
PRAYER: Say the “Our Father” every day.
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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