GOD THE FATHER LOVES YOU
PERSONALLY
Seminar
Reflection delivered on the 2019 CYON Seminar by
Rev.
Fr. Christopher Nwanyanwu
Sat. 1st
June, 2019 @ Holy Cross Parish, Umuocham Aba
INTRODUCTION
The world is made up of many people of different
cultures and heritage. Human beings have been naturally made to have different
wants and desires which they will necessarily like to meet. Beside the
fulfillment of their dreams, human beings are equally faced with the fact of
difference in their orientation and perception about life. In this great number
of people, and having our faith as telling us that there is a God for cares for
us, one is bound to question the modality God uses to show his love and concern
for his people. While we believe that God cares for us his people as a group,
we are still thinking and living in the belief that he loves and cares for each
person he has created. Also, while in the midst of the fulfilment of our joys
we are bound to appreciate God’s love for us as individuals, in the midst of
life’s difficulties, we are forced to ask: Does God really love me as he loves
others who are successful? To the increase in the ugly situations of life, one
is likely to conclude that God has not or does not love him/her. This becomes
the background of our reflection to prove and state that God loves each person
as he loves others.
GOD’S LOVE FOR MANKIND
One
of the expressions of God’s love is in his act of creation; for God has no
other reason for creating than his love and goodness (CCC. 293). In the course
of human history, especially from the life of the Israelites, it was out of
love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness
(CCC. 218). In his love, God has remained faithful to his promises even when we
are not faithful; hence, he continues to send us his gifts.
God
is love. God’s very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of
Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret; God
himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has
destined us to share in that exchange (CCC. 221).
God’s
love for his creatures is both Universal and Particular. In his
universal love which is shared by everything he has created, he sends gifts and
gives his presence such as allowing the sun and the rain to fall on the world
for the goodness of every creature (Matthew
5:45). In his particular love, he endows different people with different
favours based on his judgment (1 Cor. 12
on Spiritual Gifts). Besides the giving of Gifts and seeing this gifts
especially material gifts as the only proof of God’s love and blessings, God
has a particular concern for each person he has created. This is shown in the
mystery of our human creation.
THE MYSTERY OF HUMAN CREATION
Judging from the account of creation in the book of Genesis 2:7, there is really a deep
mystery in our creation. In Gods’ fashioning of Adam by molding him, we see
certain things at work. God decided and then molded. God molded according to a
Fashion/design. This is an idea of uniqueness. In creating a second person, God
used another style and another instrument: the style of a woman and the
instrument of human rib of Adam. What was God doing by that differentiation in
creation? God was creating, was differentiating, was recognizing, was
particularizing his creation. By even creating different things in
different moments, God was taking note of details. He created the whole world
in order. This Order forms the expression of the mystery in creation. In his
command to man to name the things he created Genesis 2:18-23, God already was revealing the mystery of Identification and Particularization of his
Creatures. God is aware of everything that comes into this world. Each
thing has a value to add or to express; hence, no two things are the same in
God’s creation. Our body marks, voices, smiles/laughs etc. are all distinct.
The scientific theory of Human Variability buttressed
the fact that there is difference in human beings in their cognitive abilities,
personality, physical appearance (body, shape, skin colour, etc) and
immunology. While these differences are inheritable and in-born, some are
acquired. Whether they are acquired or in-born, these are different levels of
the truth that we are not the same in our particular humanity. These goes on to
show that each person is unique and different from others even among twins.
Therefore, God knows his creatures.
GOD’S KNOWLEDGE OF HIS
CREATURES
Our creation was not mechanic like factory organized
production. To each person, God fashioned separately and distinctly. Jeremiah 1:5 informs us of God’s
knowledge of us right from our conception. He formed us in our mother’s womb
and he knew why he formed us and why he placed us where we belong. Job 3:16, Ps. 51:5, Ps.139:13-16 and Isaiah
44:24 continue to convince us that it was God that put us in our mother’s
womb. Therefore, God knows us.
The belief in the Goodness of God, his Absolute
Knowledge and his Absolute power will naturally make us accept the fact that
God definitely is aware that we are existing. He knows each person and he loves
each person. Even if we lay claim to the possibility of unwanted pregnancies,
and children born will health challenges, it does not remove the truth that God
is aware of everyone who enters into the world. If you say that the parents of
a child decided to conceive a child by their conjugal act, only God knows the
second the fertilization takes place. This alone shows that God is aware of
that baby being conceived. From the angle that God created each person in the mother’s
womb, it is logical to say that God is aware of our existence. From the angle
that he allowed the parents to conceive their child (including unwanted
pregnancies, it is logical to say that God is aware of the child’s existence).
In other words, no one was created by chance. No one came to this world by a
mistake. If God does not want you to exist, he would not form you through the
natural instruments of your parents. Interesting and factual enough, some
couples are without child. Again, we all know that not all sexual acts even
during ovulation leads to pregnancy. None of us therefore came to this world by
chance. We were all made for a Purpose and we created out of Love and for Love.
GOD LOVES YOU PERSONALLY
Does God love you as a person? How do you know that
God loves you? What signs do we have to show that God loves you personally?
What proof have we to show that God loves you/us personally?
The commonest proof we have to show that God loves us
is that he protects us from harm and then grants our prayers always. He
provides all our needs and wants. Hence, we believe he loves us and has blessed
us. This answer is very poor. This idea of God’s love and God’s blessing is
very poor. This is because God’s love is much more than the description we usually
think and give.
God’s Love in Your Creation
God’s love is first revealed in our creation: our
coming into this world from our mother’s womb. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), tells us that one of
the expressions of God’s love is in his act of creation; for God has no other
reason for creating than his love and goodness (CCC. 293). By being created
already, we are loved. If God never loved us, then he would not have created
us. Whether in the mind of God, or in his act of creating us, our existence is
in itself a sign of God’s love. This is because he created us (making us from
nothing to something and from something to a great thing) for a great reason. Hence, CCC tells us that God created me to
know him, to love him, serve him, and to be with him in the life to come. Before
our creation, we were mere ideas in God. From ideas, we were made dust, mere
dust; from dust to human beings with bodies and intelligence, capable of
enjoyment and from this human body capable of weakness to the best state: the
Glorified state in Heaven. God created each person to become sharers in his
divine nature 2 Peter 1:4.
Our creation is sign of God’s love. Again, our
redemption is above all the highest expression of his love. If you were alone in
the world, God will still send Jesus to redeem you. A proof of this is that the
paschal mystery was for the good of those who lived and died before Christ,
those who lived with Christ and all those who are living after Christ. John 3:16. We who are living 2019 years
after Christ are benefiting from it especially in the Sacraments and
sacramentals.
God’s Love revealed in Your Name
In our creation, God gives us a name that speaks about
our existence. The bible has a tradition of names giving it a symbol of
relationship with God. Check Abraham (father of multitude), Isaac (God has
brought me laughter) David means beloved (of God), Peter (means rock, the rock
Christ built his church). In the world, our names really speak about our
relationship with God and the world from the perception of those who give us
the names. The Igbo people are famous for this heritage. Every Igbo name has a
relationship with God and the world. Most of these names also show
different forms of supplication, expectations, wishes and affirmations as seen
in the following names Chinyere: God gives, Chukwudi: God exists; Chidiebere:
God is merciful; Chinedu: God leads; Chibuikem: God is my strength; Chikadibia:
God is greater and more powerful than the native doctors; Chidindu: God is alive,
Chijindu: God is the owner of life, Chibuzor, God is the way, Chigozie: God
bless; Chizaram: God answers me; Chidinma: God is good, Chinecherem: God is
thinking of me and many other names.
Many Igbo names are theologically sound and relevant. In our names, we
initiate a further link with God. This linking with God is out of God’s love.
God’s
love revealed in Your Destiny
Another
sign of God’s love is in the destiny he has given each person. Destiny is
somebody’s pre-ordained future, which is the apparently predetermined and
inevitable series of events that happen to somebody. It is that inner
realizable purpose of life than can be discovered and realised. While there is
a general purpose for creating mankind, each person is called to a particular
function in the world Jeremiah 29:11.
God wants us to help him add something different in the world. We are his
individual tools Ephesians 2:10. Our different destinies have been ordained
by God. The various professions and vocations in life have been ordained by God
for our own good and the good of others. God does not give what is not good for
his people.
God’s
love revealed in Your Talents and Charisms
Everyone
God created receives a talent from God. No one has all the talents. Each person
has a talent which could only be discovered. The process of discovery may
differ in time and manner. In our talents, we find God’s desire to share a
little of his goodness with us separately. God is so great and rich in goodness
that he shares just a little of his enrichment with creatures so that in their
variety of gifts, they all will manifest God’s goodness. Jeremiah 17:10 informs us that God gives these gifts according to
his knowledge of each person. In the parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14-30, God gives us gifts
according to our strengths. 1 Cor. 12, tells
us that God gives his gift as he wills. But definitely, he gives gifts to his
people. These gifts will help us realise and live our destiny to the full. It
will make us better persons, enjoying peace and love with others and ultimately
God.
God’s
love is revealed in Your Freedom
Freedom,
the ability to decide one’s course of actions without constraints is a gift
from God. CCC 1730-1731 tells us
that God willed that we should be free, and be left in the hand of our own own
counsel, so that man might of his own accord seek his creator and freely attain
heaven. When freedom is directed towards God, one’s life is best enjoyed. We
all love freedom naturally. Our natural love for freedom is seen in our
displeasure with any constraints and oppositions. The little baby wants to play
with any object; but a stop to it make him cry. The children are unhappy when
you stop them from playing football. Youths are already angry when they cannot
have what they want. Thus, this ability to decide your life in line with God’s
actions, is itself a gift of Love from God. God does not want you to be robots
and remote controls. Instead, he wants you to be free and enjoy your
preferences and choices.
God’s
Love is revealed in Your Social Life
No man
is an island! God did not create us to be alone. Loneliness nearly killed Adam
before the creation of Eve. Right from our mother’s womb, we were given a
mother who cares. We were born into a family who cares. In our development, we
meet siblings and relations who put joys and smiles on our faces. At a further
development, we meet friends and colleagues who help us to become happier.
These friends at times are closer than our family members. They virtually help
us to be happy. These close acquaintances and associates are personally given,
discovered and enjoyed (although others could share with us). Our social life
is deepened in our different life services and elements that make life
comfortable. Each element makes each person happy. The Transportation is made
to make each passenger comfortable. Citeris
Paribus, every service and goods is meant for the good and attraction of
each individual’s attraction. Hence, every customer counts in business.
God’s
love is revealed in Your Religious Life and Journey to God
God’s
interest in each person makes him direct each person to himself through
worship. From our baptism taking place differently in the minister, in time and
place and circumstance, we find out that each person was called personally by
God to himself. Our climb in the sacramental ladder of Holy Communion,
Confirmation, Marriage or Priesthood/religious life buttresses the fact that
each person was/is called by God. This invitation to enjoy the sacraments and
the graces involved is an act of God’s love. They are his preparations to lead
us to heaven. Our various pious societies portrays our freedom (a gift of love)
and God’s desire for us to worship him under different dimensions. Our worship
of God is itself a gift from God. It is an acknowledgement of what he has done
for us and what he will do for us.
God’s
love is revealed in Your Dreams and Aspirations
Human needs and wants are what we humanly
think will help us achieve our utmost happiness on earth. To each dream and
desire that corresponds with the will of God, he grants at his own time and in
his own manner. To each dream and desire which is not best for us, God will
replace it with another. This is a way God blesses and it is done in his love. Sayings which deny atoms and iotas of God’s blessings
must be jettisoned from our minds. When we ask God for particular blessings,
for certain needs, to have them granted exactly the way and manner we wanted
them is a blessing. Yet, not to receive them in the way and manner desired is
also a blessing. This time, it is a blessing of Delay or Denial. Faith will
tell us that the delay and denial of such request exactly when and how we want
it is another way God works behind the scene to keep us on the path of the
blessed: path of holiness. No one will expect a Good God to offer at the moment
what will be catastrophic towards a superior blessing of holiness nor will an
all-knowing and un-limited God be bereft of other good means of responding to
the demands of his people.
God’s
Love even in Your Difficulty in Life
The
ordinary person finds it difficult to believe that God’s love is present in his
difficulty. If God loves me, why will he allow me to suffer? If God loves and
cares about me, why am I facing challenges and problems? Why am I unemployed
when God loves and cares about me? These are the questions that we ask as
humans based on our experiences of difficulty. For the ordinary person, except
God answers him and removes all difficulties, God’s love is not felt.
The
Truth is: God loves us unconditionally. Nothing can make God to stop loving us.
Hence, he is merciful. God does not send us difficulties and suffering. A good
God cannot do this. God allows us to use our freedom and receive/experience the
consequences for a reason he alone knows. Some difficulties are caused by our
choices and lifestyle. In all situations, God’s love is present in normal
degree. Romans 8:28: All things work
together for good for those who love God and are called to his purpose. Isaiah 49:8-16: At a favourable time,
God will answer you according to his will. God is God at all times. Your
situation cannot change God.
PERSONAL
RESPONSE TO GOD’S LOVE
Love is
reciprocal! God expects a return of his love. He wants you to love him as he
loves you above all else. Your response to God’s love will therefore imply
making choices that are pleasing to God. It implies doing all your best to
reduce the traits of sin in your life. Hence, you need closeness with your God
in your worship, Church activities, Sacraments (Eucharist and Penance) to
attain this loving response from you. A personal response from God will install
in you the sense of particular judgement that waits each man after death as Heb 9:27 tell us. Even in the midst of
your friends and colleagues, your WILL is yours. Choose wisely and act wisely;
for your life is Personal despite the connections.
CONCLUSION
Despite the immense greatness of God, God pays
attention to details. Matthew 10:29-31-
The hairs of your head are counted and numbered. He does not overlook anything
he has made. Does God know my Name? Yes God knows you name and then everything
about you. God has created you with difference and uniqueness. God is still
interested in you as an individual despite the billions of people in the whole
world. God loves you with unquestionable affection Ps. 117:2. Truly God is
interested in each soul in the midst of the multitude. David had this
understanding and that gave him the good sense of security, leading to his much
loved Psalm—The Lord is my Shepherd Ps. 23. The greatest thing that can happen
to a man is to understand the measure of love that God has for him and to
accept that love. The Parables of the
Lost Coin and Sheep tell us that God loves and wants each person he has
created to be close to him. Here, God is still seeking the lost element. You
are as important as the others. He searches for you and he will find you. God
does not want to lose you to the enemy. Do not take his love for granted, for God the Father Loves you personally!
