We revere God as Father first of all because he is the Creator and cares lovingly for his
creatures. Jesus, the Son of God, has taught us, furthermore, to regard his Father as our Father
and to address him as “our Father”.
Several pre-Christian religions had the divine title “Father”. Even before Jesus, the Israelites addressed God as their Father (Deut 32:6; Mal 2:10), realizing that he is also like a mother (Is 66:13). In human experience, father and mother stand for origin and authority, for what is protective and supportive. Jesus Christ shows us what God the Father is really like: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus addresses the most profound human longings for a merciful father.
