Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Today, we celebrate and honor all the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, and father figures in our parish family. Thank you, dear fathers, for your leadership, your sacrifices, and the ways you reflect the love of our Heavenly Father to all those entrusted to your care!
We can never reflect meaningfully on the role of our own fathers without understanding the relationship of Jesus to his Heavenly Father. From Jesus’ filial relationship with God, we can learn what ‘father’ really means and what is the true nature of the Father who is in Heaven. Through his words and example of constant communion with His Father, Jesus reassures us that God the Father will always be there providing for what we really need.
Jesus taught us to pray confidently to the Father, “Give us today our daily bread!” Most of us are able to say that we have never gone a day in which the Father hasn’t, in one way or the other, heard and responded to that prayer. All the fathers are called upon to share in this providing responsibility to which God the Father calls them.
Every human fatherhood is a sharing in the eternal Fatherhood of the Father. Through the vocation of fatherhood, men are called to collaborate with God in the miracle of creation, both physically and spiritually. Just as God the Father forms and molds us, fathers have the unique privilege of shaping the lives of their children.
All of you Catholic fathers are not only called to fulfill your duty to your families, but also to cultivate your own spiritual growth. Your personal relationship with God, nourished through prayer, the sacraments, and a commitment to ongoing conversion, enables you to become better fathers. It is by seeking God’s guidance and grace, that you can truly strive to be the men of virtue and faith that your families need.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the constant providence of our Heavenly Father for us through the example of the sparrow that falls to the ground. To the many fathers who are worried about caring for their families’ needs and feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities, the Lord says: “do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!” May all our fathers, under the watchful eye of our Heavenly Father, experience His intimate care, and the peace that comes from being His child!
Wishing all our fathers a “Happy Father’s Day” and joining in praying for them,
Fr. Joy Jacob, SDB