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Chapter 39GenevaCat.1.39

III. D'oraison — Le 38e dimanche

The Sweetness of Divine Fatherhood

God reveals himself as our Father in prayer to remove our doubts and invite us into his presence with confidence.

What does the word “Father” mean when applied to God? Minister: Let’s move on to the explanation. And before we go any further, why is God called “our Father” here, rather than by some other name?✦ E: Because it is thoroughly necessary that our consciences be firmly assured when it comes to prayer, our God names himself with a word that conveys only sweetness and graciousness, to take from us all doubt and perplexity and to give us boldness to come to him privately.✦12

Confidence in the Father's Goodness

We approach God with the boldness of children, knowing his goodness far exceeds that of earthly parents.

261. M: So, will we dare to approach God as familiarly as a child approaches their father?3 E: Yes—in fact, with even greater certainty that we will receive what we ask for. If we, who are evil, cannot refuse our children bread and food when they ask, our heavenly Father will certainly not refuse us—for He is not only good, He is supreme goodness itself (Matthew 7:11).✦4

Prayer Founded in Christ

Our access to God as Father is only possible through our union with his Son, Jesus Christ.

262. M: From this very name, can't we clearly prove what has already been said—that prayer must be founded on the intercession of Jesus Christ?5 E: Yes, for certain—inasmuch as God doesn't acknowledge us as his children except insofar as we are members of his Son.6

The Communal Nature of Prayer

By praying 'our' Father, we are reminded to exercise charity and include our neighbors in our petitions.

Our M: Why don't you call God "your Father" instead of calling him "our" Father, in common? E: Every believer can certainly call him their own in particular, but in this form Jesus Christ teaches us to pray in common to remind us that we must exercise our charity toward our neighbors when we pray, rather than just looking after ourselves.

The Majesty of the Heavenly Father

Acknowledging God as being 'in heaven' teaches us to worship his incomprehensible majesty with humility and trust.

264. Minister: What does the phrase "who is in heaven" mean?✦7 Student: It's the same as calling him high, mighty, and incomprehensible. 265. M: How so? And for what purpose? S: So that when we call on him, we learn to lift our thoughts high, rather than imagining anything fleshly or earthly about him, or measuring him by our own understanding, or subjecting him to our own will; instead, we learn to worship his glorious Majesty in humility—and also so that we may have a more certain trust in him, since he is the Governor and Master of all.89

Read the original Latin

Qu'emporte le mot de « Père » en Dieu 260. M : Venons à l'exposition. Et devant qu'entrer plus avant, pourquoi est ici Dieu appelé « notre Père », plutôt qu'autrement? E : D'autant qu'il est bien requis que nos consciences soient fermement assurées, quand il est question de prier, notre Dieu se nomme d'un mot qui n'emporte que douceur et gracieuseté, pour nous ôter tout doute et perplexité et nous donner hardiesse de venir privément à soi.

261. M : Oserons-nous bien donc nous retirer familièrement à Dieu, comme un enfant à son père? E : Oui, voire avec plus grande certitude d'obtenir ce que nous demanderons. Car si nous qui sommes mauvais ne pouvons refuser à nos enfants le pain et la viande quand ils nous demandent, tant moins le fera notre Père céleste qui non seulement est bon, mais est la souveraine bonté (Matthieu 7:11).

262. M : De ce Nom même ne pouvons-nous pas bien prouver ce qui a été dit, que la prière doit être fondée en l'intercession de Jésus-Christ? E : Oui pour certain, d'autant que Dieu ne nous avoue pour ses enfants, sinon en tant que nous sommes membres de son Fils.

Notre 263. M : Pourquoi n'appelles-tu pas Dieu « ton Père », mais l'appelles « notre », en commun? E : Chacun fidèle le peut bien nommer sien en particulier, mais en ce formulaire Jésus-Christ nous enseigne de prier en commun, pour nous admonester que nous devons exercer notre charité envers nos prochains en priant, et non pas seulement avoir le soin de nous.

264. M : Que veut dire cette particule « qui es aux cieux »? E : C'est autant, comme si je l'appelais haut, puissant, incompréhensible.

265. M : Comment cela? Et pour quelle fin? E : Afin qu'en l'invoquant, nous apprenions d'élever en haut nos pensées pour ne rien imaginer de lui charnel, ni terrien et ne le mesurer à notre appréhension, ni l'assujettir à notre volonté, mais adorer en humilité sa Majesté glorieuse, et aussi pour avoir plus certaine fiance en lui, en tant qu'il est Gouverneur et Maître de tout.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.6.9;Luke.11.2 — Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Luke.11.2 — He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come."
  2. ↩Heb.4.16;Rom.8.15;Gal.4.6 — Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Rom.8.15 — For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, in which we cry, "Abba, Father." Gal.4.6 — And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father.'
  3. ↩Matt.7.11 — If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask him.
  4. ↩Matt.6.9;Luke.11.2 — Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Luke.11.2 — He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come."

Notes

  1. 1 ↩gracieuseté: Middle French for gracious kindness/favor; rendered “graciousness” to keep both kindness and divine favor without flattening into vague niceness.
  2. 2 ↩privément: familiarly/intimately as well as privately; rendered “privately” to keep the personal, unreserved approach Calvin stresses, without modern overtones of secrecy.
  3. 3 ↩Early modern se retirer à means to resort/go to someone (cf. previous section's venir privément), not 'withdraw from'; familièrement is 'familiarly/intimately,' matching that child-to-father access.
  4. 4 ↩viande in 16th-c. French commonly means food in general, not specifically meat; rendered 'food' to match that sense and the Matthew 7 analogy.
  5. 5 ↩« Nom » points back to calling God « Father » in the Lord’s Prayer; kept as Name to preserve the catechetical cross-reference.
  6. 6 ↩« avoue pour » rendered as « acknowledge … as » (own/claim as); older English often uses « own us for his children ».
  7. 7 ↩French particule here names a short clause of the Lord's Prayer, not a grammatical particle in the modern linguistic sense; rendered as "phrase."
  8. 8 ↩Middle French fiance = confident trust/reliance (not betrothal); rendered as 'trust'.
  9. 9 ↩Here means intellectual grasp/understanding, not modern 'fear/anxiety'.

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