Jesus, Prayer, And Mtv's 'my Super Sweet Sixteen'
This week's Old Testament and gospel texts suggest that our relationship with God is like that of children to a parent -- an analogy that Jesus makes explicit in the first line of the Lord's Prayer when he addresses God as "our Father." But the Hosea passage also points us to thinking of God like a parent, as its emphasis on reconciliation with an unfaithful Israel calls to mind the predicament of parents who deeply love their wayward children, yet at the same time must deal with their petulant behavior.