Today we celebrate Father’s Day. It’s difficult to trace back the origin of Father’s Day – just like it is difficult to pinpoint the origin of Mother’s Day – a number of people argue about when it was that these holidays originated in America.
But, if we use the date on which Father’s Day became an official holiday in the United States as its origin – then that would be June 15th 1924. Since then Father’s day has been celebrated on the third Sunday in June every year. (If we use the same criteria to establish when Mother’s day originated we find that it predates Father’s day – it became an official holiday May 9th 1915).
I found it interesting that when President Calvin Coolidge instituted Father’s Day as a national holiday in 1924 – he said that it was to “establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children AND to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations” – what he didn’t say was that it was instituted to honor fathers for all that they had done for their families.
I find it amazing that President Coolidge had such insight back then and just how applicable those same needs are to fathers today in our society – a society in which the family is under attack – a society in which the institution of marriage is under attack – a society in which women are abused and children are murdered – a society in which the Church – who is supposed to defend those without a voice is often times silent.
Perhaps, even more now than then – we as fathers need to establish more intimate relationships with our children – we as fathers need to step up and face the full measure of our obligations – and we as fathers, when the Church remains silent need to be the voice that cries out for justice – if we truly love our children, if we really want to pass on to them the very best – then we owe it to them not just to care for their physical needs – but to nurture them emotionally, to teach them in the ways of our faith – and to be good examples of what it means to be a Christian father.
I fear that the true meaning of Father’s Day has been lost – just like the true meaning of Christmas and Easter – these holidays have been secularized, commercialized and compromised. Today it seems as if Father’s Day has become a day to thank our Fathers for all that they have done for us – and there is nothing wrong with that – if indeed our fathers have fulfilled their obligations – if they have done more for us than just give us life. Some might argue that we should be thankful just for the fact that our fathers gave us life – but anyone can father a child – it takes a special person though to be a daddy – it takes a special person to acknowledge their obligations – it takes a special person who is willing to sacrifice – to put their family’s needs first – to die to themselves for their family – it takes a special person to stand up against the tide of a society and culture that tells them differently – that emphasizes self-gratification, materialism, and me, myself and I over the needs of everyone else.
Now one of the problems people say that we face today is that there aren’t any good role models for fathers anymore – and there is truth in that statement. Unfortunately we can’t turn to our politicians or athletes today for our role models, we can’t turn to Hollywood or to the business community or our educational institutions or our military establishment – we used to be able to turn to the Church for role models until the Church lost its voice, until it went silent on these moral issues – and unfortunately not may of us – certainly not the majority of us, can point to our biological fathers as good role models – no there are no good role models today except one – and that is of course, God our Heavenly Father – which our readings speak to us about today, about God’s love and compassion; about His mercy and forgiveness; and about His justice.
Every father today, now more than ever needs to become (if your aren’t already) good role models for our children – we need to model our fatherhood after God’s fatherhood – we need to pass on to our children strong moral values and healthy ways of living based on sound Church teaching – but we can’t pass on what we don’t have, we can’t pass on what we don’t practice – as fathers we need to understand the social issues, we need to understand the Church teachings, we need to practice our faith with our families – we need to become what each of us have been called to become and that is the first teachers of our children in the ways of our faith.
Now maybe your father is that person – (maybe he introduced you to the bible, the rosary, adoration, etc.) maybe he has been and continues to be a good role model for you, and that is great – the world is a better place because of him – but I think, more often than not – the burden of raising our children Catholic falls on mothers more than fathers – I think, more often than not, getting our children to Church falls on mothers more than on fathers. I think more often than not Catholic fathers now days have relinquished their responsibilities and obligations to their wives, why because that is what their fathers did – that is what they learned from their fathers – who learned it from their fathers – and I say that it well passed time to break that cycle.
The primary role of a father today can no longer be that what society says - the “bread winner” – which by the way is the same trap many women are falling into too – families today, where both mom and dad work – it isn’t always because they need the two incomes to make ends meet – it’s because we can’t be satisfied – we want more, and more, and more – providing for a families needs – food on the table, a roof over their heads is one thing – but keeping up with the Jones – a million dollar home – luxury cars – frivolous spending – a family life based on over consumption and materialism can not continue – the father’s role in the family must be focused on living and teaching good Catholic values and faith – NOT being the bread winner and moms you have to get back to being mothers. Now I know that is hard to accept – but it is what it is – if you want to make the world a better place – that is a good way to start.
It is time today for us, to give life to our fathers, especially today when we celebrate Father’s Day. That’s right we need to give life to our fathers who gave life to us – how can we do that – well you heard it said that unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven – and people didn’t understand that – you have heard it said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven – and people didn’t understand that – but I say, unless we give life to many of our fathers today, who gave us life, many of them will not enter the kingdom of heaven – because they are already spiritually dead.
We can give life to our fathers – eternal life that is – by reaching out to them – no matter how bad they might have failed us in their obligations – by reaching out with love and compassion with mercy and forgiveness and building the intimate relationships with them that they should have built with us – this is critical because their eternal life might very well be in our hands.
What we have to ask ourselves today is how many of our fathers fall into this category – they maybe attend Mass only on holidays, they celebrate the sacraments infrequently, they know little or nothing about the issues facing society today; they aren’t involved in anything meaningful except those secular activities that interest them. It is those fathers that we as their children must reach out to – it is those fathers we are called to give life to. What greater gift can a child give to a father than to help him to be what he has been called to be? To help him get out the role that society has placed him in and back into the lead spiritual role he was meant to fill in the family. This is one of the ways we can stop the attacks on families – if our children see us take on that leadership role – they too will do the same when their time comes.
There is only one thing that we can give God that He wants and that is our lives – there is nothing more important we can give our biological fathers than our love – and to help them towards eternal life. It is up to us the fathers of today to break this cycle – this culture of consumerism. If our fathers are part of that culture of consumerism we have to pick up that cross and help them; and at the same time we have to focus on our children too – there is no greater gift we can give our children than to demonstrate love, respect and honor for our parents as well as for our wives.
It isn’t easy. If we choose to take that path we must die to ourselves and we will find ourselves up against society. But what life is worth living if it isn’t lived for God – what life is worth living if it isn’t focused on building up the kingdom of God. Our cry must be – “Lord, all that I am, all that I can be, I turn it over to you – and just like we heard in our second reading from St. Paul – if I live it is not I who live but Christ in me – and as for me and my family – we will serve the Lord.” Unless you are willing to say that – unless you are willing to live that – your labor fathers is in vain – and your family may very well be spiritually dead.
It won’t be easy to change your ways – but you must act deliberately because you have slowly been indoctrinated into the secular culture we live in - it may very well be a hard battle – but God is on our side – and there is no power greater in heaven or on earth or under the earth greater than God. He thirsts for our souls – he waits for us – arms open always ready to embrace us no matter what we have done. That is what our readings teach us today.
In our first reading David – who God anointed king of Israel – committed adultery with Bathsheba and then sent her husband Uriah on a military excursion that he made certain would result in his death – just so he could take Bathsheba as his wife. God punished David for his sin but did not take his life.
And in our Gospel reading today Jesus addresses several issues: Jesus demonstrates for us that it isn’t the healthy that need a doctor but the sick – that He didn’t come to save the righteous but to save sinners – which is exactly opposite of what the establish religious order of that time did – they shunned this woman who demonstrated great love for Jesus when she washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
It was because she demonstrated great love for Jesus that her many sins were forgiven. Simon the Pharisee on the other hand – did not demonstrate any love for Jesus. The challenge for us today as the Body of Christ is – who is it that we shun, who is it that we discriminate against – because Jesus tells us those people are the very ones he wants us to minister too – to bring back to Him.
So as we prepare to received Jesus today in the Eucharist let us give thanks for our biological fathers who participated with our mothers and with God in giving us life – who did they best they could to bring us along – let us reach out to them and make our gift to them this day everlasting life;
Let us give thanks for our priests, especially Fr. Gene and Fr. Jon – let us support them when the boldly proclaim Church teaching and thank them for being our spiritual fathers helping guide us along our spiritual journey; Let us ask God our Heavenly Father to help us to be the best role models for our children and other fathers – to help us break this cycle of materialism and this culture of consumerism that families fall victims too.
And let us say Happy Abba Day to God our Heavenly Father – who is merciful and loving; who gave us His only Son who won for us the rewards of eternal life and who teaches us that the most important requirement of fatherhood is just to be there – always watchful, and helpful, nurturing and sustaining – protecting and guiding our children like He does for each of us.
A father was watching his young son trying to dislodge a heavy stone. The boy couldn't budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the father asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you are not," the father replied. "You haven't asked me to help you."
Dads, if you say you don’t know where to start or have done the best you can – then perhaps it is time to ask God our Father for His help.
Abba, Father – if it be your will let all that I am, all that I do – bring glory and honor to you – now and forever – AMEN!
But, if we use the date on which Father’s Day became an official holiday in the United States as its origin – then that would be June 15th 1924. Since then Father’s day has been celebrated on the third Sunday in June every year. (If we use the same criteria to establish when Mother’s day originated we find that it predates Father’s day – it became an official holiday May 9th 1915).
I found it interesting that when President Calvin Coolidge instituted Father’s Day as a national holiday in 1924 – he said that it was to “establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children AND to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations” – what he didn’t say was that it was instituted to honor fathers for all that they had done for their families.
I find it amazing that President Coolidge had such insight back then and just how applicable those same needs are to fathers today in our society – a society in which the family is under attack – a society in which the institution of marriage is under attack – a society in which women are abused and children are murdered – a society in which the Church – who is supposed to defend those without a voice is often times silent.
Perhaps, even more now than then – we as fathers need to establish more intimate relationships with our children – we as fathers need to step up and face the full measure of our obligations – and we as fathers, when the Church remains silent need to be the voice that cries out for justice – if we truly love our children, if we really want to pass on to them the very best – then we owe it to them not just to care for their physical needs – but to nurture them emotionally, to teach them in the ways of our faith – and to be good examples of what it means to be a Christian father.
I fear that the true meaning of Father’s Day has been lost – just like the true meaning of Christmas and Easter – these holidays have been secularized, commercialized and compromised. Today it seems as if Father’s Day has become a day to thank our Fathers for all that they have done for us – and there is nothing wrong with that – if indeed our fathers have fulfilled their obligations – if they have done more for us than just give us life. Some might argue that we should be thankful just for the fact that our fathers gave us life – but anyone can father a child – it takes a special person though to be a daddy – it takes a special person to acknowledge their obligations – it takes a special person who is willing to sacrifice – to put their family’s needs first – to die to themselves for their family – it takes a special person to stand up against the tide of a society and culture that tells them differently – that emphasizes self-gratification, materialism, and me, myself and I over the needs of everyone else.
Now one of the problems people say that we face today is that there aren’t any good role models for fathers anymore – and there is truth in that statement. Unfortunately we can’t turn to our politicians or athletes today for our role models, we can’t turn to Hollywood or to the business community or our educational institutions or our military establishment – we used to be able to turn to the Church for role models until the Church lost its voice, until it went silent on these moral issues – and unfortunately not may of us – certainly not the majority of us, can point to our biological fathers as good role models – no there are no good role models today except one – and that is of course, God our Heavenly Father – which our readings speak to us about today, about God’s love and compassion; about His mercy and forgiveness; and about His justice.
Every father today, now more than ever needs to become (if your aren’t already) good role models for our children – we need to model our fatherhood after God’s fatherhood – we need to pass on to our children strong moral values and healthy ways of living based on sound Church teaching – but we can’t pass on what we don’t have, we can’t pass on what we don’t practice – as fathers we need to understand the social issues, we need to understand the Church teachings, we need to practice our faith with our families – we need to become what each of us have been called to become and that is the first teachers of our children in the ways of our faith.
Now maybe your father is that person – (maybe he introduced you to the bible, the rosary, adoration, etc.) maybe he has been and continues to be a good role model for you, and that is great – the world is a better place because of him – but I think, more often than not – the burden of raising our children Catholic falls on mothers more than fathers – I think, more often than not, getting our children to Church falls on mothers more than on fathers. I think more often than not Catholic fathers now days have relinquished their responsibilities and obligations to their wives, why because that is what their fathers did – that is what they learned from their fathers – who learned it from their fathers – and I say that it well passed time to break that cycle.
The primary role of a father today can no longer be that what society says - the “bread winner” – which by the way is the same trap many women are falling into too – families today, where both mom and dad work – it isn’t always because they need the two incomes to make ends meet – it’s because we can’t be satisfied – we want more, and more, and more – providing for a families needs – food on the table, a roof over their heads is one thing – but keeping up with the Jones – a million dollar home – luxury cars – frivolous spending – a family life based on over consumption and materialism can not continue – the father’s role in the family must be focused on living and teaching good Catholic values and faith – NOT being the bread winner and moms you have to get back to being mothers. Now I know that is hard to accept – but it is what it is – if you want to make the world a better place – that is a good way to start.
It is time today for us, to give life to our fathers, especially today when we celebrate Father’s Day. That’s right we need to give life to our fathers who gave life to us – how can we do that – well you heard it said that unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven – and people didn’t understand that – you have heard it said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven – and people didn’t understand that – but I say, unless we give life to many of our fathers today, who gave us life, many of them will not enter the kingdom of heaven – because they are already spiritually dead.
We can give life to our fathers – eternal life that is – by reaching out to them – no matter how bad they might have failed us in their obligations – by reaching out with love and compassion with mercy and forgiveness and building the intimate relationships with them that they should have built with us – this is critical because their eternal life might very well be in our hands.
What we have to ask ourselves today is how many of our fathers fall into this category – they maybe attend Mass only on holidays, they celebrate the sacraments infrequently, they know little or nothing about the issues facing society today; they aren’t involved in anything meaningful except those secular activities that interest them. It is those fathers that we as their children must reach out to – it is those fathers we are called to give life to. What greater gift can a child give to a father than to help him to be what he has been called to be? To help him get out the role that society has placed him in and back into the lead spiritual role he was meant to fill in the family. This is one of the ways we can stop the attacks on families – if our children see us take on that leadership role – they too will do the same when their time comes.
There is only one thing that we can give God that He wants and that is our lives – there is nothing more important we can give our biological fathers than our love – and to help them towards eternal life. It is up to us the fathers of today to break this cycle – this culture of consumerism. If our fathers are part of that culture of consumerism we have to pick up that cross and help them; and at the same time we have to focus on our children too – there is no greater gift we can give our children than to demonstrate love, respect and honor for our parents as well as for our wives.
It isn’t easy. If we choose to take that path we must die to ourselves and we will find ourselves up against society. But what life is worth living if it isn’t lived for God – what life is worth living if it isn’t focused on building up the kingdom of God. Our cry must be – “Lord, all that I am, all that I can be, I turn it over to you – and just like we heard in our second reading from St. Paul – if I live it is not I who live but Christ in me – and as for me and my family – we will serve the Lord.” Unless you are willing to say that – unless you are willing to live that – your labor fathers is in vain – and your family may very well be spiritually dead.
It won’t be easy to change your ways – but you must act deliberately because you have slowly been indoctrinated into the secular culture we live in - it may very well be a hard battle – but God is on our side – and there is no power greater in heaven or on earth or under the earth greater than God. He thirsts for our souls – he waits for us – arms open always ready to embrace us no matter what we have done. That is what our readings teach us today.
In our first reading David – who God anointed king of Israel – committed adultery with Bathsheba and then sent her husband Uriah on a military excursion that he made certain would result in his death – just so he could take Bathsheba as his wife. God punished David for his sin but did not take his life.
And in our Gospel reading today Jesus addresses several issues: Jesus demonstrates for us that it isn’t the healthy that need a doctor but the sick – that He didn’t come to save the righteous but to save sinners – which is exactly opposite of what the establish religious order of that time did – they shunned this woman who demonstrated great love for Jesus when she washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
It was because she demonstrated great love for Jesus that her many sins were forgiven. Simon the Pharisee on the other hand – did not demonstrate any love for Jesus. The challenge for us today as the Body of Christ is – who is it that we shun, who is it that we discriminate against – because Jesus tells us those people are the very ones he wants us to minister too – to bring back to Him.
So as we prepare to received Jesus today in the Eucharist let us give thanks for our biological fathers who participated with our mothers and with God in giving us life – who did they best they could to bring us along – let us reach out to them and make our gift to them this day everlasting life;
Let us give thanks for our priests, especially Fr. Gene and Fr. Jon – let us support them when the boldly proclaim Church teaching and thank them for being our spiritual fathers helping guide us along our spiritual journey; Let us ask God our Heavenly Father to help us to be the best role models for our children and other fathers – to help us break this cycle of materialism and this culture of consumerism that families fall victims too.
And let us say Happy Abba Day to God our Heavenly Father – who is merciful and loving; who gave us His only Son who won for us the rewards of eternal life and who teaches us that the most important requirement of fatherhood is just to be there – always watchful, and helpful, nurturing and sustaining – protecting and guiding our children like He does for each of us.
A father was watching his young son trying to dislodge a heavy stone. The boy couldn't budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the father asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you are not," the father replied. "You haven't asked me to help you."
Dads, if you say you don’t know where to start or have done the best you can – then perhaps it is time to ask God our Father for His help.
Abba, Father – if it be your will let all that I am, all that I do – bring glory and honor to you – now and forever – AMEN!
