by Giuseppe Monno
John 20:17
Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’
If Jesus Christ is true God, how are we to understand His words when He addresses the Father as “my God”?
The answer lies in the depth of the Trinitarian mystery, which surpasses human reason without contradicting it. The Catholic Church teaches that in Jesus there are two inseparable natures, the divine and the human: He is true God and true man. As God, He is consubstantial with the Father; as man, He possesses a rational soul and a human heart, fully capable of living an authentic filial relationship with God.
When Jesus says “my God,” He does not deny His divinity, but rather manifests the richness of His humanity: He is the perfect man who lives in total trust, love, and obedience toward the Father. In Him, the Incarnation is brought to fulfillment: the divine nature does not diminish the human, nor does the human weaken the divine. In this way, the supreme act of humility and love is revealed: God Himself, by assuming our flesh, enters into the filial condition and addresses the Father as man, teaching us to live the spiritual life with true filial trust.
Moreover, the words of Jesus shed light on the inner structure of the Trinity: the Son is not separated from the Father, but is truly distinct from Him as a Person. It is precisely this personal distinction that makes dialogue, relationship, and eternal mutual love possible. Jesus calls the Father “my God” not because of any division in the divine nature, but because, in His Person as the incarnate Son, He lives and manifests the filial relationship in its fullness. In every action and in every prayer, the Trinitarian mystery is thus revealed: the Son who, in the unity of the divine nature, obeys the Father in love.
In conclusion, the humanity of Jesus does not contradict His divinity; rather, it reveals and glorifies it, showing that God can fully assume the human condition, without sin, and share with us prayer, suffering, and praise. When Jesus calls the Father “my God,” He introduces us into the deepest mystery: God is not distant, but is perfect love, eternal communion, and the ultimate fulfillment of our human vocation.