Conclusion

Becoming the father

A lonely step:

• The father was the place to return to, the goal of my journey, the final resting place.
• God's love for me was limited by my fear of God's power.
• Fully let go of all fear of the father it becomes possible to become like him.
• consciously choose to step beyond their childhood and become father and mother for others.
• Our consumer society encouraged us to indulge in childish self-gratification, and challenge myself to liberate myself from immature dependencies and to accept the burden of responsible truth, and don't try to escape the fearful task of fatherhood.
• "Be compassionate as your father is compassionate."

The fatherhood of compassion:

• Become like the father is the very heart of his message.
• Move from the belonging to the world to belonging to God.
• Compassion means no competition.
• To be received by God and also to receive as God.
• The son without being rebellious and resentful.
• A fatherhood of compassion knows no power, influence, and control.
• Concerned about myself means having desires to keep in control of things.
• Concerned about other means giving myself completely, and pouring out all of myself.

Grief, forgiveness, and generosity:

• Grief allows the sins to pierce my heart and make me shed tears,.
• No tears, no compassion.
• Tears from both my eyes and heart.
• Grieving is praying:  hearing the cries of the poor.
• Grief is the discipline of the heart that sees the sin of the world, and knows itself to be the sorrowful price of freedom without which love cannot bloom.
• Shed countless tears to prepare my heart to receive anyone.
• Forgiveness is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking.
• Step over all my arguments that say forgiveness is unwise; step over all my needs for gratitude and compliments.
• Step over my wounded heart and wronged feelings.
• climb over the wall of fear of being used or hurt again; a wall of pride and the desire control.
• Grief allows me to see beyond my wall and realize the immense suffering that result from human lostness.  it opens my heart to a genuine solidarity with my fellow humans.  Forgiveness is the way to step over the wall and welcome others into my heart without expecting anything in return.
• Generosity means completely giving myself away without reserve.
• Giving all becomes gaining all.
• The direction of generosity is moving from fear to love.
• So many emotions and feelings that hold me back from freely giving.
• Genus/genos refers to my being of one kind.
• Generosity is a giving that comes from the knowledge of that intimate bond.
• True generosity is acting on the truth, not on the feeling.
• Generosity creates the family it believes in.
• Playing youthful games is over.
• Time to carry the responsibilities of an adult.
• The real joy and fulfillment can only come from welcoming others/myself home.
• Dreadful emptiness yet fruitful emptiness is the place of true freedom.
• Free to receive the burdens of others without any need to analyze.
• The call to be home as my father is home.

Living the painting

• The struggle to keep moving toward the light precisely when the darkness is so real.
• Openly express love, fear, gentleness, anguish, generosity, selfishness.
• Simply being who I am breaks through any sophisticated defenses and demand.
• Live up to the title that I have already.
• True fatherhood is sharing the poverty of God's non-demanding love.
• His own loneliness and anger may have been there, but they have been transformed by suffering and tears.  His loneliness become endless solitude, his anger boundless gratitude.