I have an adult son who looks like me, has my height, build, and a similar personality, though he doesn't yet have my gray hair! We are both involved in the same ministry. As a father, I rejoice that my children carry my image. It is a joy beyond description to minister side-by-side with my son.
Jesus "is the Reflection of the Father's glory, the exact Representation of the Father's being" (Heb 1:3). Jesus so conformed Himself to His Father's will that to see Jesus was to see the Father (Jn 14:9). Likewise, we humans are made in the image of our Father (Gn 1:27). In Baptism, we received "a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, 'Abba!' (that is 'Father')" (Rm 8:15). "We are God's children now" (1 Jn 3:2). Like Jesus, we strive to conform our wills to the Father's will. As Jesus prayed, we pray constantly to our Father: "Not my will but Yours be done" (Lk 22:42; see also Mt 6:10).
My son has grown to maturity, and looks like his father now. We also can grow and mature so that we "look like" and reflect our heavenly Father. Jesus said: "My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. This will prove that you are" children "of your heavenly Father" (Mt 5:44-45).
Children of God, let us love our enemies, surrender ourselves to our Father's will, and thereby reflect our Father's glory. May we, His children, always give our Father cause to rejoice over us (Zep 3:17).
| PRAYER: | Father, may I live in such a way that Your name is hallowed (Mt 6:9) by all who meet me. |
| PROMISE: | "I have made you a light to the nations, a means of salvation to the ends of the earth." –Acts 13:47 |
| PRAISE: | Sally put aside her fears and trusted that God was speaking to her through her husband's strong desire to have a fourth child. After a rough pregnancy, God blessed her with a son. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College