Children of God

Thanks to Fr. Jim Reposkey for introducing Fr. William Nordenbrock, the Moderator General of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, to the faithful at St. Alphonsus Church. It was an honor to meet this distinguished visitor from the Eternal City, Rome. However, I was most impressed by the words of his homily in today's Mass. Commenting on the Epistle's reading "See what love the Father has bestowed on us, that we may be called the children of God" (1 John 3:1), he drew a comparison to the joy that the parent feels when he/she sees the little child after he/she is born. If we, as limited as we are, can love and enjoy our children, how much more does God love us and receive us with joy as a Father?

On a personal note, it is with much joy too that I was able to attend the wedding of my youngest niece yesterday at Merciful Redeemer Church in Mississauga. The priest who officiated the wedding and celebrated the Mass is the same one who, a bit over 34 years ago, married my twin brother and his wife.  My first son together with the gifted Audra Sharp (PhD. in Music) played the instruments and sang in the Mass.  As the God-father of this youngest niece, it was a special moment for me to see her joy with the very kind bridegroom, parents and many family members around her.  It is written that in the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter cried to Jesus "Lord, it is good that we are here" (Matthew 17, 4). This was my feeling too. At the same time yesterday, my second son made an important milestone in his doctorate program when he played a concert of sacred music at the great Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris in France. I received a report that he was greeted with a standing ovation by the attendees.This too was a special moment for me as a parent.

And in spite of continuing suffering and persecution of Christians in the Middle East as elsewhere, I found joy that the government of Saudi Arabia decided to build a church in Arabia for Christians to publicly worship God. While the Turkish President Erdogan refuses to recognize the genocide of Armenians in 1915 by the Ottomans (Turkey), I found joy too that, following Pope Francis lead, the leaders of Europe joined an increasing international voice that supports Armenian President Sarkisian and Christian Armenians for the international community and particularly Turkey to make up for their long suffering.

It is not because we are children of God that we dare to challenge his mercy. Let us ask God with Hans Urs von Balthasar that in the never-ending love of God, the whole creation, guilty or not. may be offered the possibility of salvation and everlasting joy in heaven. Heaven came to earth so as to bring earth to heaven in Christ.