The Heart of a Child

omewhat frequently in the Walker household, we would recite the little ditty by Elizabeth Cheney on the Robin and the Sparrow:

Said the robin to the sparrow,
“I should really like to know,
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin,
“Friend I think that it must be,
That they have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.”

This quaint depiction of bird-brained creatures having more confidence in God’s Fatherhood than us “anxious human beings” taps into a scriptural insight. Christ himself tells us in Matthew’s Gospel that we ought not be anxious because, if God cares for the birds of heaven, we know that he cares for his beloved children much more (cf. Matt 6:25-27). But, if this truth is so obvious that even the birds testify to it, why is it so difficult for us? 

Indeed, this seems to be one of the great struggles of the Christian life: to live out of the identity we have as a “Beloved child.” This struggle is of such importance, that were this not to be a struggle, we would be well on our way to sanctity. And it is this precise struggle, and the accompanying insight about sanctity, that Fr. Bonaventure Perquin, OP addresses in his book Abba Father. 

As we read through his book, Fr. Bonaventure proposes various aspects or implications of God’s Fatherhood throughout 30 different chapters or conferences. Each conference is around 10 pages and, in some way, builds on the previous conference. So, in the early sections, Fr. Bonaventure takes us through the implications of God’s Fatherhood in the Old Testament. Then, after examining God’s Fatherhood in the New Testament, he begins to focus on each of our individual relationships with God. The primary touchstone for this is our being “sons in the Son;” that is, he looks at our life as adopted children through Baptism. Then, our baptism—the moment of our adoption—becomes the reference point for the remaining sections. He progressively links God’s Fatherhood to the Liturgy, the Sacraments, Charity, the virtues, states of life, and finally, Heaven. In other words, he frames the entire Christian life in terms of our relationship as children of Our Heavenly Father.

As we can see, the book covers a lot of ground. However, in each conference, we find Fr. Bonaventure providing spiritual insight into how God’s Fatherhood impacts our life. Since there are 30 conferences, each relatively short, I would strongly recommend this book as a spiritual resource for 30 consecutive days of meditation. You could, each day, take a few minutes to read one of the conferences, then reflect on the insights Fr. Bonaventure provides. This practice should, ultimately, lead you to live more deeply out of your identity as a beloved child—one who knows God is your Father. 

Why is it so difficult for us to recall that we are beloved children? Why are we so often forgetful of our identity as beloved children? I think, perhaps, it frequently is due to our forgetfulness of who our Father is. This is why Fr. Bonaventure’s book is so valuable—it isn’t about your relationship with the Father. Primarily, it is about the Father. And it is only through knowing who God is more profoundly that we are able to deepen our relationship with God the Father. Then, as we deepen our relationship with him, we will come to see ourselves, and others, as “beloved children.” If we realize the love lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God, we will soon be free of the worry noticed by the robin and the sparrow (cf 1 John 3:1). 

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Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash.