Attention all dads...
As you open your cards this weekend and ooh and aah over the new grilling tongs you just received or the omelet and bacon your kids just made and brought to you in bed, remember to thank God for making you a father. That's right - while our families are thanking us for being great dads, we need to thank God for calling us to be fathers.
What an awesome vocation we have - that of fathers. Just what is a father? Remember in the Old Testament how we read that Abraham begat Isaac and Issac begat Jacob and Jacob begat Joseph and all his brothers. What is the essence of all that "begatting!?" Yes, at a very basic level, it's to bring forth life - and that is a miraculous thing to be sure.
But to be a Christian father is much more than having and raising children. No to be a Christian father is to lead our children in their journey towards God; to help them know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life so that they might enjoy Him - not only in this life - but in the eternal life to come. And that my brothers in fatherhood, is an incredible task.
For to be successful in that task, our fatherhood must resemble the very fatherhood of God, the true Father. And when we ask Christ to "show us the Father", so that we can resemble Him, He responds by reminding us that when we have seen Him, we have seen the Father.
Now the rubber is hitting the road. Does your and my fathering resemble Christ?! In our fathering and in our husbanding, do we show the same sacrificial love that Christ showed when on earth? The same kind of self-giving that He gave to the Church?
If the answers is no, and surely that is the answer for all of us, we need not despair. For the very essence of fatherhood, that of leading our children on a journey towards God, means that we are on that same journey towards God too. And when one is on a journey, it is never too late to change direction. In the Christian faith, to change direction is to repent.
We change direction by acknowledging our desire to be more Christlike while also admitting how far we fall short. For Catholic dads, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the perfect first step to take in that regard.
We then strive to resemble Christ by inviting Christ into our life in a new and deeper way. A renewed commitment to Eucharist and to prayer is essential in this regard. A new commitment to time with Christ and time with our family also will be key. Our calendars will reflect the depth and quality of our change in direction so let's be rigorously honest with ourselves - otherwise we'll find ourselves back on the same road we were on.
Remember that we can gain much from example of those who have gone before us. A great Father's Day saint to reflect on is Blessed Franz Jaegerstaetter (1907-1943), who was beatified by Pope Benedict in 2007. A father of two daughters, Jaegerstaetter refused to fight as a solider for the Third Reich. For this decision, he was judged and condemned to death. While in prison, he was pressured by his friends and family to yield to the Nazis. Did not his children need a father? Was it not necessary for him to save his life,in order to raise them up? Jaegerstaetter refused to give in however, believing that his daughters needed above all a father who was a witness to faith, a father who would remind them always that there is a path to follow beyond oneself. And while he died for that stand, his daughters in fact grew up with his fatherly presence - that is, in the memory of someone who pointed out to them the way to God. In this way, Jaegerstaetter experienced in fullness what true Fatherhood was all about.Becoming a father is not all that hard. But being a father who reflects the true Father - and who leads our children in their journey toward God, now that is a vocation that will consume us dads for the rest of our earthly lives. It is Christ who we must resemble - let's get busy.
Now go be a saint!