Confirming Adoption

“Praised be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens. God chose us in him before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ; such was his will and pleasure, that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-7)

St. Thomas Aquinas once said, “Only those who have charity are adopted sons of God.” (Suma Theologica, The Savior) The Lord confirms each of our adoptions by calling each to reach out to the poor and the homeless. May the Lord be praised that he gives us this opportunity! May we by the Lord’s grace, be filled with heroic acts of charity for the poor homeless and thereby follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, first Son that He is, and now we, the adopted sons and daughters of God.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus introduced us to a new word –Abba. Abba means “Father,” but a better rendering of Abba would be the word, “Daddy.” Everyone who ever lived on the earth has a father, but not everyone has a “Daddy.” A father is one of the people who is responsible for one’s very existence, but not every father takes the time or makes the effort to build a relationship with his offspring. Being “Daddy” and not just “Father” requires a special connection with the child. We respect our fathers, but we love our daddies! Saint Paul writes, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:4-7)

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:12-17)
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