Spiritual Hiccups - Parental Love and Fairness

Over the years I had a few encounters with parents who cared for a special needs child.  In a couple of instances the disabilities of the child were profound, and it required tremendous amounts of time and energy from the parents.  Sometimes the sibling of this special needs child felt a bit left out.  I can only imagine what this must be like, with so much of their parents' attention focused on a brother or sister.  It would be easy to be resentful, but those I've met have generally not seemed so.  The sometimes lament their situation and are frustrated by it, but they recognize their parents are doing what they must do, what love requires.

I thought about this when I read Jesus' words in today's gospel.  The religious folks are offended - as religious folks tend to be - that Jesus is hanging out with sinners.  But Jesus insists that they need him more, saying, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance." 

Many Christians like to think of God in parental terms, and some are insistent about referring to God exclusively as Father.  (That this is a problem for a Trinitarian view of God is a topic for another day.)  And yet some of these same Christians seem to conceive of God in the most un-parent like way, lavishing love and blessings on those who are "right" while preparing the most dastardly punishments for those who are not.

If God is in some way a loving Father, then is stands to reason that God might be a bit like the parent of a special needs child, lavishing special love and care on those who need it more.  It isn't a matter of God loving the "good children" any less.  It's a matter of some children needing more from God if they are to live full lives. 

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