The True God = A Loving Father – Homily for Thursday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

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At this point in the Gospel of Matthew, we are in the middle of a long series of Jesus’ teachings to His disciples. In these teachings, Jesus explains how to live in right relationship with God, with ourselves, and with one another. His teaching for us today begins with a focus on our relationship with God.

Jesus tells us to not be like the pagans, whose false gods require much noise and activity to get their attention. Pagan gods are egotistical, aloof, stingy, and hard to get a hold of. Much different is the true God revealed to us through the prophets, like Elijah and Elisha, and in fullness in the person of Jesus Christ. The true God, Jesus reveals, is a loving Father who is so attentive to the hearts of His children as to know what they need even before they ask Him. Saint Augustine had the powerful realization that God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. We do not have to shout and run around to get His attention. The attention and affection of God our Father are set on each one of us from the moment of our conception in our mothers’ wombs unto eternity.

Jesus re-teaches us how to relate with God the Father because the effects of sin run deep, darkening our intellect and weakening our will. In our fallen human condition, you and I often relate with God more like we do with the I.R.S. than with the reality of who He is as a loving Father. We put in our little religious acts—like our taxes—complaining about it and hoping that God will be satisfied and leave us alone. We fear His demands. Our relationship with Him feels burdensome. This is why we need Jesus’ teachings. Jesus shows us the truth about God, and He invites us to share in His own relationship with the Father.

What does God want with us? He wants to share His own blessed life with us. That’s it—a divine life of love and communion with God, with ourselves, and with other people. He just wants to be with us now, in this present life, and for all eternity. We squirm and wrestle and barter with a false image of God, and all the while the true God gently beckons us to simple communion. Why does God want us to pray? Because He likes the sound of our voice. Why does God want us to do good works? Because He wants us to be like Him, overflowing with love and goodness. Why does God want us to stop sinning? Because sin separates us from Him. Why does God want us to forgive those who have hurt us? Because grudges weigh us down, and God wants us to soar with Him in freedom. Let us continue, every day of our lives, to turn to Jesus as our teacher, our brother, our bridge to God the Father so that all of our false, pagan ideas of God can be healed and corrected, and we can live in the reality of the true God, who just wants to be close to us in every way possible, now and for eternity.