Thought of the Day January 18, 2019 The joy of the Father in his Son
The Father, too, expressed his joy over Jesus' decision to be
the obedient Son. In fact, the Father, who is rarely heard, also publicly
demonstrated his joy. We read in Luke: “After all
the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was
praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit
descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven,
‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Lk 3:21-23) The Fathers
of the Church said that this was the kiss of the Father that was like a seal on
the heart of Jesus sustaining him throughout his life. The
Trinitarian joy becomes complete when the Spirit filled Jesus with a fresh new
anointing, empowering the Messiah with spiritual gifts of signs and wonders.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It flows from living in the Spirit
and following his lead. Jesus was full of the Spirit from the moment of his
conception in Mary’s worm, when the Spirit overshadowed Mary.
The same love and joy of the Father was expressed at the time of
Jesus’ Transfiguration prior to his passion. We
read in Matthew: “While Peter was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a
shadow over them,*then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’”(Matthew 17:5)
That love was mutual. Jesus loved the Father.
He said that this in different ways. ““My food
is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.” (John
4:34) Jesus found great joy in doing the will of the Father, in pleasing the
Father even by obediently embracing the mystery of the cross. Jesus knew that
the Father would never abandon him, even in the times of his greatest
suffering. In John he says: The one who
sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is
pleasing to him.”(John 8:29) This gave him great joy.
In the same way, Jesus reminds us again and again that he will
never abandon us, that he will be with us till the end of the ages. (To be continued)
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