The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate images of God that shed some light on how Jesus does the Will of the Father.
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| Like a mother |
The passage from Isaiah uses the image of a mother to conclude a reassurance of the liberation and restoration of Zion during the Exile.
[49:8] You: the individual is not named; perhaps Cyrus or the prophet.1
Psalm 145 is a poem that declares the “works of God” make God present and invite human praise.
* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.2
In the Gospel from John, Jesus connects the work of the Son to the Will of the Father.
* [5:21] Gives life: in the Old Testament, a divine prerogative (Dt 32:39; 1 Sm 2:6; 2 Kgs 5:7; Tb 13:2; Is 26:19; Dn 12:2).
* [5:22] Judgment: another divine prerogative, often expressed as acquittal or condemnation (Dt 32:36; Ps 43:1).
* [5:28–29] While Jn 5:19–27 present realized eschatology, Jn 5:28–29 are future eschatology; cf. Dn 12:2.3
John Shea, S.J., who works with models, comments that this analogy of models works well when he talks about God and the images of God... Our readings provide two images of God. Isaiah offers the image of a mother who can never forget her child. And so, we may imagine God looking at us with the tenderness of a nursing mother. Jesus offers a second image: God the Father. As used by Jesus, this image suggests a deep and intimate relationship.
The Gospel gives us another way to understand God. Recall that Jesus is the Word made Flesh, the incarnate God. Jesus tells us that he is uniquely qualified to represent God. Jesus is doing and saying what God sent him to do. We will never fully understand the nature of God. We will never fully understand the Trinity. We will never fully understand exactly how Jesus can be both different from and united to God. This Ultimate Reality will elude our understanding. Our images of God will always fall short. But we do have Jesus who is God incarnate. We are invited to know Jesus more intimately and so, enter into a deeper relationship with Ultimate Reality.4
Don Schwager quotes “The wonderful exchange,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Unless the Word of God had first assumed our mortal flesh he could not have died for us. Only in that way was the immortal God able to die and to give life to mortal humans. Therefore, by this double sharing he brought about a wonderful exchange. We made death possible for him, and he made life possible for us." (excerpt from Sermon 218c,1) 5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 49:8-15 comments on promises that your God knows you intimately. He knows your needs, your worries, and your sorrows. He won’t forget you, not even for an instant. Even if a mother forgets her child, God will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15).
You may have already experienced God’s comfort in a personal way. Maybe you felt him strengthen you during a stressful time. Or maybe he guided you through a confusing situation. Even so, the difficulties of life can tempt you to think that God is far away. He isn’t. He walks beside you: suffering with you, persevering with you, and comforting you, even if you aren’t sure that he is there.6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the consolation offered by God in Isaiah as a second Exodus, perhaps better than the first. The feminine image of God in Isaiah 49 is rare in the Hebrew Testament. Friar Jude shares the life giving authority of Jesus that is realized today and in our share in His resurrection.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites Angeles Arrien, who wrote “The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom” where she described approaching what she called the Gold Gate.
The Gold Gate offers the wisdom gifts of freedom and liberation. Nonattachment, surrender, and acceptance foster our deliverance, while courage and faith strengthen our capacity to face our own suffering, pain, or sadness. . . . To hold onto nothing is the root of happiness and peace. If we allow ourselves to rest here, we find that it is a tender, open-ended place. This is where the path of fearlessness leads, and where we rest in expanded, unlimited peace. . . .
[We] make the conscious choice of living not in the past or future, but in each present moment. This takes great courage and the ability to make peace with your life: to live without hope or fear, to let go without regret, to know that you have lived fully. [2]7
The image of God as Mother and the revelation that Jesus is our way to participate in living in accord with the will of God positions us to experience fullness of life today.
References
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(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 49 - usccb. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 145 - usccb. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). 4th Week of Lent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations for .... Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/04/03
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(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/
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