Theme 1 Kerigma
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ScribdTranslationsTHE LOVE OF THE FATHER
Objective: To know how great the love of God is, so that each one
I came to experience their personal and unconditional Love.
Introduction
Often, men have mistaken ideas about God.
Some think that God does not care about the world He created, for
seems to live detached from our realities. Others imagine that
God is a strict judge, who keeps a close account of our sins.
to punish us here on earth or when we die.
Others think that God exists and is good, but that we should only
turn to Him when we have unsolvable problems, and those that have already been resolved,
we can completely forget it. There are others who deny the existence of
God; they are called atheists.
Teaching
God is Love
If we read the Bible, we find very beautiful teachings about
God. Especially, we emphasize the phrase that Saint John wrote,
in the first of his letters, and that he repeats twice: "God is love"
(1Jn.4,8 and l6).
That word summarizes all the mystery of God and His relationship with
We. God is a mystery of love: He is a loving Father, He is a
Son who came into the world out of love, is a Spirit that communicates his love.
to all creatures.
That God loves us. He created us out of love. The Book of Wisdom says
that if God had hated something, He would not have created it. (Wisdom)
11,24).
God is Father
To help us understand the love of God, the Bible gives it names.
relatives to our experience, such as: Father, Mother, Husband, Friend,
Pastor...
The name Father appears in the Old Testament, but it was
Jesus who used it the most and who taught his disciples to say the
the word 'Abba', which means 'dad', when they were to pray. Be
a disciple of Jesus is to dare to call God the name of Father, and to
to address him informally. Also, the love of God is compared to the
of a mother who is unable to forget the children she carried in her
entrails.
This divine love can also be compared to the love of a husband.
who is totally in love with his wife, or that of a friend who
he sacrifices himself for his friend, or for that of a shepherd who is looking for his sheep and not
rest until you find them.
A tender and merciful love
If we wish to express what God's love is like, we do not find
words to achieve it fully; your love surpasses ours
vocabulary. We can say, as in the book of Exodus, that 'God is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness
(Ex. 34, 6). Oh, like Saint Paul, we can exclaim that this love
surpasses all dimensions, and nothing can separate us from Him.
That love that God has for us is free, for God loves us before
that we love Him. As Saint John says, "God loved us
first" (1 Jn. 4:10) and made us His children. The basic duty of a child
it's to love the Father who gives life, to hear his words and to speak to him
expressing your needs to him and telling him your love, your praise and your
Gratitude. It is what we wish to propose to those who study this
Teaching: to read the Bible and to pray with devotion as children to their
Father and Creator.
In addition, consult:
Isaiah 54:6-10
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Hosea 11:1-4 John 3:16-17
Romans 8:35, 38-39
1 John 4:8-10
TO DEEPEN
Ask yourself these questions to guide your reflection:
Who is God to you?
What do people think about God?
How have you experienced the love of God in your life?
Do you pray often?
What words do you use when you talk to your Heavenly Father?
Do you read the Bible and meditate on it?
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Pray daily.
Learn to pray the Our Father.
Attend a Prayer Group
Buy the Bible and read it regularly.
Discover in the Gospel of John what Jesus says about the
Heavenly Father.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD'S LOVE
The Love of God is...
1.- Personal.
He loves us individually as we are, not en masse.
2.- Eternal.
Her love is forever.
3.- Unconditional.
To love us, He does not set conditions.
He took the initiative to love us.
We do not seek Him, but it is He who seeks us.
we
5.- He has a perfect plan for each one of us.
And he wants that said love plan to become a reality in each one.
To delve into the topic of God's love, we will meditate on the
following biblical texts:
Does a woman forget her nursing child, without feeling pity for him?
son of your entrails? Well, even if those were to be forgotten, I will not forget you.
forgetting. Look at it, in the palms of my hands I have you tattooed, your
Walls are before me perpetually.” (Isaiah 49:14-16)
The mountains will be moved and the hills will shake, but my love for you
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my covenant of peace shall not be removed." (Isaiah 54:10)
If we love the one who gives life, we also love those who have been born.
of him". (1 John 5:1)
Says Yahweh, your creator, your former, Israel. Do not fear, for I have...
rescued, I have called you by your name. You are mine. If you go through the
waters, I am with you; if you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. If
If you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flame set you ablaze. For
I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior... You are precious to
my eyes, you are precious and I love you." (Isaiah 43, 1-5)
Test of God's love
But God proves that He loves us, in that, when we were still
sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
God showed his love for us by sending his one and only Son to
world so that we may have life through it. Love consists of this: it is not
that we loved God, but that he loved us first and
he sent his Son as a victim for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)
There are various situations that prevent us in practice.
feel and let this reality of God's personal love penetrate
There are fundamentally 3 situations:
Distorted image of God
The damaged paternal image
The very life of sin and distance from God and His love.