Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
When we’re young we often picture God as something like Santa Claus. Our parents may encourage us to think of God like Santa Claus because we ask Him for things that we need and/or want. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as, when we’re children, we should learn to go to God whenever we need something.
When we’re stuck in the Santa Claus God mode, all we do is go to God when we need something or want something. “God, please let this girl like me”; “Lord, I need a better job”; “God, let me win the Mega Millions, and I’ll give some to the Church, and it won’t ruin me like it ruined all those other people”; or, as the song says, “Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz”. And then, if we get what we want, God goes back into the distance, to be beckoned when some other desire arises, like a genie we summon from a lamp. Or, if we don’t get what we want, we can write off God altogether, and figure that He’s not worth our time if He’s not going to give us what we want, especially if we feel we’ve been good and deserve it.
God invites us to a more adult relationship with Him. God wants us to consider our relationship with Him more in the vein of a child or a spouse.
When we view ourselves as God’s beloved children, and Him as our loving Father, then we have confidence to ask Him for the things that we need. And Jesus tells us today to be persistent, as children often are when they need something. God can’t be worn down, like earthly parents, but how many parents have relented because their child kept asking them for something. Of course, it has to be for something good, or something we need. God doesn’t give us a snake instead of a fish, or a scorpion in place of an egg. God gives us good gifts.
And children learn this lesson from their parents as well: if they ask for something that is not good, or something they don’t need, they don’t get it. Children may ask for ice cream every night, but they don’t (and shouldn’t) get it, as it’s not healthy for them. Soon enough, and sometimes with an explanation, children learn that their parents will give them anything they need, and sometimes even things they want, as long as it’s in the child’s best interest. So with God: when we ask for something good, and are persistent in our asking, God gives us what is good for us and what we need.
But children do not only ask parents for stuff they want. Children also go to their parents to say, “I love you,” and “thank you,” and just to be with the ones who love them. God also wants us to come to Him when we don’t need something, when we just want to be surrounded by His love.
When we view ourselves as God’s beloved spouse, we also have confidence to talk freely with God. Of course, the analogy of a spouse falls down, because spouses are co-equals, while God is not our equal. But God does want to hear from us openly and with confidence, even while respecting God’s majesty. Look at the first reading: it starts with God sharing with Abraham the plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sexual wickedness, sins, the Bible says and the Catechism affirms, which cry out to heaven for divine justice. And then Abraham tries to barter with God for the safety of the cities (which doesn’t change what happens, because there aren’t even 10 innocent people in the cities). But Abraham has that confidence that a husband would have with his wife, or a wife would have with her husband, to talk about what is important, and to see what the options are and ask for a reconsideration. Abraham is not rude or arrogant when talking with God (good luck getting what you want from a spouse if you’re being a jerk about it), but does not fear to bring up his point of view and make sure God understands where He is coming from. Jesus told His Apostles at the Last Supper, “‘I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.’” Through baptism, we become the family of God, and God wants to share with us His plans, and He wants us to share with Him our desires.
It is easy to get stuck in a childish view of God, and a childish way of approaching Him where we only go to Him when we need something. Instead, we should rely on God for what we need, but do so in a chidlike way where we can go to God, not only for what we need, but also to thank God and spend time with Him because we love Him and He loves us, and know that He give us what we need, even if we don’t always know what that is. We should, with the confidence of a spouse, share with God our hopes and doubts, our fears and our dreams, and listen attentively to God’s plans.
Don’t be stuck in a childish view of God. Turn to Him in prayer each day, not just for what you want, but to spend time with Him in love and gratitude, and listen for how He communicates that He loves you.