Fatherly and Brotherly Love 

Through his life and teachings, Jesus taught the practice of fatherly love. Brotherly love is easily seen when we love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and Jesus exhibited this kind of love as the Son of Man. But fatherly love goes one step further. We are called to love one another as Jesus loves us. The Master exhibited fatherly love as the Son of God, our Creator.

We can learn to develop fatherly love by seeing our fellow mortals as a loving parent might see them; as God the Father sees them. We can easily start with the golden rule and work our way up. Brotherly love can open the door to fatherly affection.

Jesus used the beatitudes, part of the Ordination Sermon, to exemplify his teachings on brotherly love and fatherly love.

Throughout his life, Jesus taught that the highest kind of love we can show one another is parental or fatherly love rather than merely brotherly affection. While brotherly love fulfills the "golden rule," fatherly love invites us to love others as Jesus loves us.

Jesus' love for humanity is characterized by a dual nature. In his earthly existence, he embodied both the human and divine nature. As the Son of God, he exhibits a fatherly affection for humanity, being our Creator and Universal Father. And, as the Son of Man, Jesus demonstrates a fraternal love for human beings, having lived among us as one of our own.

Jesus understands that achieving a high level of brotherly love might be challenging, but it is not unattainable. If we can do as Jesus asked and work towards being more like God – our model of perfection – we can imagine him loving all of us with the care and affection of a good father. We can see our brothers and sisters in the same way God sees humanity, and then we can love humanity as God loves humanity. This is the beginning of the practice of Fatherly love.

Jesus began the Ordination Sermon by highlighting four faith attitudes that spirit-discerning mortals can recognize and adapt in their lives. These are preliminary attitudes to strive for before mastering the four transcendent reactions of fatherly love, which contrast with simple brotherly love.

Jesus addressed those who are poor in spirit, those who hunger after righteousness, those who are meek, and those who are pure in heart. When we grasp through faith these spiritual levels of living, we will be able to exercise the fatherly affection that is tender-hearted, shows mercy, promotes peace, and endures mistreatment. And through it all, we strive to love even our unlovely brothers and sisters as a good father would.

Adapting the beatitudes in our lives strengthens our character and creates inner happiness. These beatitudes start out with happiness, and those who understand and live these first four beatitudes can also succeed at fatherly affection."Happy are the poor in spirit – the humble."

Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with material wealth. If we can recall the story of the Pharisee and the Publican, the Pharisee was egotistical, self-sufficient, and felt he was already rich in spirit; the Publican was truth-seeking, teachable, and humble – poor in spirit. The poor in spirit seek spiritual wealth and the greatest treasure of all – God. Living as seekers of spiritual treasures brings happiness, and it brings happiness now. When we find the kingdom of heaven in our hearts, our reward comes to us now. Being poor in spirit is a positive attitude."Happy are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

True righteousness is another word for decency, morality, or integrity – not to be confused with self-righteousness, which is synonymous with hypocrisy. One who hungers for righteousness is a seeker – poor in spirit. Likewise, only these same poor in spirit seek help and spiritual power from divine sources, knowing they always have more to learn. When we do find and experience true righteousness, it brings us happiness. Jesus’ righteousness is dynamic and positive; living this way is a pleasure rather than a duty. It is not about “thou shall not” but about growing to love others as Jesus loves us. As grown children of God, we can see the meanings of these two beatitudes."Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Meekness is a word that simply describes a mortal being cooperating with God: “Your will be done.” It exemplifies an understanding that God is in charge of all we see; we come to understand through experience that his watch-care is benevolent, loving, and predictable. When we are meek in this way, we are not tempted to contradict the leading of the divine spirit within. Jesus was the ideal meek man of our world, and he rules an entire universe."Happy are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Purity, in this sense, has little to do with sex, and it is not a negative quality. It speaks, rather, of the faith we should have in each other or the pure love of a parent for a child, which helps us see how the Father loves us. Good fathers always see the best in their children.

When we can grasp God through faith, we open ourselves to true spiritual insight, which amplifies the guidance of our indwelling spirit; together, these amplify the experience of God-consciousness. Accepting God as our Father, we then accept all humankind as our brothers and sisters with a pure heart. It will follow naturally to love our fellows with fatherly affection, as God loves all of us. Even a child can grasp this simple direction. A child’s faith is simple, pure, and fully trusting, as ours should be.

In our lifelong struggles, the main purpose overriding all is to strive toward perfection. Jesus told us, "Be you perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." In loving our brothers and sisters, the perfect love is that characterized by the heavenly Father. This is the kind of love that Jesus asks us to strive for. The following beatitudes demonstrate the supreme reactions of fatherly love."Happy are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

On the face of it, this beatitude seems counter-intuitive; happiness cannot be achieved through mourning. But in this beatitude, Jesus is not referring to the mourning of loss or of the dead. Instead, he is referring to an attitude of emotional tenderness towards others. When we are sensitive and responsive to human needs, we are less apt to suffer from anger, hate, and suspicion. In addition, being kind to others produces lasting inner happiness. Our heavenly Father is quite tender and affectionate towards his children.

This advice is especially important for men and boys. Sometimes, our society looks down on men who cry, and sometimes boys are shamed when they cry. But a sympathetic heart is to be respected in men and women. Being hard-hearted is not necessary for real manliness; some great men, like Moses, have been very soft-hearted.“Happy are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

A good father does not find it difficult to forgive his child, even many times over. This beatitude denotes the loving-kindness that is shown in true friendship. In such a relationship, mercy is active and potent – supremely fatherly; and what we give, we receive. Even children are naturally merciful and sympathetic when they can understand situations that call for mercy."Happy are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God."

The peace of this beatitude is not the opposite of warfare. It speaks, rather, of the peace of Jesus. Even in his own trials and persecutions, Jesus offered his peace. He said: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Jesus’ peace is an inner quality that avoids conflict; it allows one to feel whole and in control of oneself. In our social contacts, this inner peace helps us to avoid fear, greed, and anger. Carried into politics, peace safeguards us from suspicions about others and calms antagonisms. When we have Jesus’ peace in our hearts, we are not troubled by distrust of others.

Children are natural peacemakers. They love to play together, and they enjoy playing in cooperative teams."Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven."

Viewing humanity with a fatherly love can soften the blows of persecution or mistreatment. A fatherly love is far-seeing and knows that progress will always triumph over oppression. Mere brotherly love can hardly achieve the same mindset. This beatitude was exemplified by Jesus' willingness to lay down his life for his enemies and his friends.

Fatherly love delights in returning good for evil.