God’s tenderness is both mother and father.
According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis gave this reminder today, Dec. 14, 2017, during his daily morning Mass in his residence Casa Santa Marta, as he reflected on the day’s first reading from the the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and the psalm where God says of himself: «… his tenderness expands over all creatures».
Isaiah presents an image of a God who speaks to us as a father with his child, «imitating his voice to make it as similar as possible to his, and who»reassures the child: Do not be afraid. I will come to your need.»
«God makes us promises of joy, of a great harvest, to help us move forward. God,» Pope Francis reminded, «is not just father but a Dad.»
“It seems that our God wants to sing us a lullaby. Our God is gifted at this. His tenderness is this: he is a father and a mother. Many times He said: ‘But if a mother forgets her son, I will not forget you. He carries us in his deep within. He is the God Who with this dialogue makes himself small to make us understand, to make us trust in Him and we can tell him with the courage of Paul who changes the word and says: ‘Abba Father.’ Father … It’s the tenderness of God.”
Francis went on to reflect on the mysterious tenderness of God who saves us.
“He is the great God who makes himself small and in his smallness he does not stop being great. And in this great dialectic he is small: there is the tenderness of God. The great that makes himself small and the small that is great. Christmas helps us to understand this: in that manger … the little God.»
The Pope then cited a phrase from St. Thomas Aquinas, from the first part of Summa Theologica, when trying to explain what is divine, to which he says: «‘to the maximum tamen continents at the minimum divinum est,’ that is, do not be frightened of big things, but keep small things in mind. This is divine, both together.”
Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis concluded saying how he to wants to help us, and wants us to show Him our wounds, to heal them.
«God makes us promises of joy, of a great harvest, to help us move forward. God,» Pope Francis reminded, «is not just father but a Dad.»
“It seems that our God wants to sing us a lullaby. Our God is gifted at this. His tenderness is this: he is a father and a mother. Many times He said: ‘But if a mother forgets her son, I will not forget you. He carries us in his deep within. He is the God Who with this dialogue makes himself small to make us understand, to make us trust in Him and we can tell him with the courage of Paul who changes the word and says: ‘Abba Father.’ Father … It’s the tenderness of God.”
Francis went on to reflect on the mysterious tenderness of God who saves us.
“He is the great God who makes himself small and in his smallness he does not stop being great. And in this great dialectic he is small: there is the tenderness of God. The great that makes himself small and the small that is great. Christmas helps us to understand this: in that manger … the little God.»
The Pope then cited a phrase from St. Thomas Aquinas, from the first part of Summa Theologica, when trying to explain what is divine, to which he says: «‘to the maximum tamen continents at the minimum divinum est,’ that is, do not be frightened of big things, but keep small things in mind. This is divine, both together.”
Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis concluded saying how he to wants to help us, and wants us to show Him our wounds, to heal them.
