Jesus: His Parents and our parents

Jesus: His Parents and our Parents 

By William Lyon Tupman. Bible passages used: Mark 9; Matthew 1, 6; John 14, 19, 20; Galatians 3-4. 

Today, on the twentieth anniversary of my late Father's passing, I had a very special experience at Mass. The priest asked me to do the reading - this was Galatians 4:4-7, which speaks of how we are all adopted as God's children, and by His grace and Holy Spirit we cry to him "Abba! Father!" 

This was no coincidence; God had this beautiful moment, during Mass today at St Bartholomew's Church in Brighton, perfectly planned. I somehow managed not to cry (in amazement) while I was doing the reading, when I realised this! God works in beautiful and mysterious ways - and infinitely more than I can describe. 

As many of you will know, both my Father and Mother died young during my childhood. As a consequence, I went in to foster care, for six years. My foster carers, among others, filled in and played the role of my Parents as much as they could, helping me to come to terms with what had happened in my life, helping me to progress along my journey, and helping me to get into the world of university. 

There are many people who are being, or who have been, fostered at some point in their lives - more than one may ordinarily imagine. Jesus assures us that we will not be left as orphans (John 14:18) - and the Messiah Himself needed to be fostered too! God the Father, while sending us His Son into the world so that we may be saved, Himself remained in Heaven - and appointed St. Joseph to be the foster-father of our Lord and Saviour. While Jesus is of course fully divine, He is also fully human - and He was just as needy as you and I during our childhood. Thus, with the Father not being physically present with the Son after His Incarnation at that first Christmas, the chaste St Joseph was commissioned by an angel (Matthew 1:18-25) to become Jesus's foster-father, raising and nurturing the young Lord, together with his wife the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. 

Most of us have, or have had, a "normal" (however one defines that word!) relationship with our parents. But many people haven't; and yet, we still have more than one set of parents. Yes, more than one set of parents! For, in addition to our Godparents and / or Baptismal Sponsors, God Himself is our spiritual Father, together with His representatives on earth. And the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is our spiritual Mother. We are all God's children, for Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 9:7), and since we are all siblings in Christ (Galatians 3:26), we all now share in this beautiful truth. Jesus Himself entrusts us to Mary, and Mary to us, in John 19:26-27. 

After Mass today, Fr David also very kindly gifted me a book on the Wisdom of the Greek Fathers (compiled by Andrew Louth). In it, he wrote a message wishing me well in my ministry in the Church. As well as someday becoming a father to my future offspring, I am so excited to hopefully becoming a father to the flocks God gives me in the Church, providing the Bishop gives me the green light at my selection panel. 

We all have, or have sometime had, our parents - and we all still do, thanks to the grace and salvific action of God. But in addition to our own parents, we may in another sense also look to God Himself as our Father, and the Blessed Virgin Mary as our Mother. God is Jesus's Father and our Father; His God and our God (John 20:17). Let us now pray in the way our Saviour Himself taught us: 

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen. 

Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.