Why we dare to call God ‘Father’
SIR – Steve Larkin (Charterhouse, July 5) reminds us that Fr Frederick Faber used to speak of Our Lady as “Mama”, a term he says some criticise as “affected and weird” when used today.
Presumably it would sound even more affected and weird to speak of God as “Papa”. Yet Christians have the best possible authority for adopting a less formal word than “Father” when speaking to God in private prayer. For Our Lord himself seems to have habitually used the Aramaic family word, with its tone of intimacy and trust.
