Day 39: The Father Almighty (268-278)

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father Almighty, you are the almighty Father. You are simple. You are one. Lord God, you are justice and goodness itself. You are being itself. You are love itself. Every good thing flows from you. Every truth flows from you. All of our wills, that can choose and can love, are a gift from you. All of our intellects, that can think and apprehend, they're from you. So we ask you Lord, help us to think. Help us to know. Help us to love you. For you are wisdom, and you are love. And we declare that you are good. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

Scripture References & Reflections

- compiled by Andrew Adamany


Bible Translation - RSVCE


CCC 268 "Of all the divine attributes, only God's omnipotence is named in the Creed: to confess this power has great bearing on our lives. We believe that his might is universal, for God who created everything also rules everything and can do everything. God's power is loving, for he is our Father, and mysterious, for only faith can discern it when it "is made perfect in weakness".


Psalm 115:3

"Our God is in the heavens; 

he does whatever he pleases."


Genesis 1:1 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."


John 1:3 

"all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made."


Matthew 6:8–13  

"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: 

Our Father who art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name. 

Thy kingdom come. 

Thy will be done, 

On earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread; 

And forgive us our debts, 

As we also have forgiven our debtors; 

And lead us not into temptation, 

But deliver us from evil."


2 Corinthians 12:8–9

"Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."


1 Corinthians 1:18–19 

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, 

and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.”


CCC 269 "The Holy Scriptures repeatedly confess the universal power of God. He is called the "Mighty One of Jacob", the "LORD of hosts", the "strong and mighty" one. If God is almighty "in heaven and on earth", it is because he made them."


Genesis 49:22–24 

"Joseph is a fruitful bough, 

a fruitful bough by a spring; 

his branches run over the wall. 

The archers fiercely attacked him, 

shot at him, and harassed him sorely; 

yet his bow remained unmoved, 

his arms were made agile 

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob 

(by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel)"

 

Isaiah 1:24 

"Therefore the Lord says, 

the Lord of hosts, 

the Mighty One of Israel: 

“Ah, I will vent my wrath on my enemies, 

and avenge myself on my foes."


Psalm 24:8–10

"Who is the King of glory? 

The Lord, strong and mighty, 

the Lord, mighty in battle! 

Lift up your heads, O gates! 

and be lifted up, O ancient doors! 

that the King of glory may come in. 

Who is this King of glory? 

The Lord of hosts, 

he is the King of glory! [Selah]"


Psalm 135:6–7

"Whatever the Lord pleases he does, 

in heaven and on earth, 

in the seas and all deeps. 

He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, 

who makes lightnings for the rain 

and brings forth the wind from his storehouses."


"Nothing is impossible with God, who disposes his works according to his will."


Jeremiah 27:4–5 

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me."


Jeremiah 32:16–17

"I prayed to the Lord, saying: ‘Ah Lord GOD! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee"


Luke 1:36–37 

"And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”


"He is the Lord of the universe, whose order he established and which remains wholly subject to him and at his disposal. He is master of history, governing hearts and events in keeping with his will: "It is always in your power to show great strength, and who can withstand the strength of your arm?"


Wisdom of Solomon 11:21

"For it is always in thy power to show great strength, 

and who can withstand the might of thy arm?"


Esther 13:8–12

"Then Mordecai prayed to the Lord, calling to remembrance all the works of the Lord. He said: 

“O Lord, Lord, King who rulest over all things, for the universe is in thy power and there is no one who can oppose thee if it is thy will to save Israel. For thou hast made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven, and thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist thee, who art the Lord. Thou knowest all things; thou knowest, O Lord"


Proverbs 21:1

"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; 

he turns it wherever he will."


Tobit 13:1–2 

"Then Tobit wrote a prayer of rejoicing, and said: 

“Blessed is God who lives for ever, 

and blessed is his kingdom. 

For he afflicts, and he shows mercy; 

he leads down to Hades, and brings up again, 

and there is no one who can escape his hand."


CCC 270 "God is the Father Almighty, whose fatherhood and power shed light on one another: God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us ("I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty"): finally by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins."


2 Corinthians 6:18 

"I will be a father to you, 

and you shall be my sons and daughters, 

says the Lord Almighty.”


Matthew 6:28-34

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day."


CCC 272 "Faith in God the Father Almighty can be put to the test by the experience of evil and suffering. God can sometimes seem to be absent and incapable of stopping evil. But in the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his Son, by which he conquered evil. Christ crucified is thus "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."


1 Corinthians 1:20–25

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."


"It is in Christ's Resurrection and exaltation that the Father has shown forth "the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe".


Ephesians 1:19–23

"and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all."


CCC 273 "Only faith can embrace the mysterious ways of God's almighty power. This faith glories in its weaknesses in order to draw to itself Christ's power." 


Philippians 4:10–13 

"I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me; you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me."


"The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of this faith, for she believed that "nothing will be impossible with God", and was able to magnify the Lord: "For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name."


Luke 1:34–38 (Douay Rheims)

"And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? 

And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren. 

Because no word shall be impossible with God. 

And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."


Luke 1:46–49

"And Mary said, 

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. 

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; 

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, 

and holy is his name."


In Brief


CCC 275


Job 42:1–2 

Then Job answered the Lord: 

“I know that thou canst do all things, 

and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted."


CCC 276 "Faithful to the witness of Scripture, the Church often addresses her prayer to the "almighty and eternal God" ("omnipotens sempiterne Deus. .."), believing firmly that "nothing will be impossible with God"


Genesis 18:9–15 

"They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”


Matthew 19:23–30

"And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first."