As Father's Day ends...

Image by Willow Tree

At the end of all the Masses this weekend we invited the fathers present to stand and we prayed over them the words from the Book of Blessings:

God our Father,
in your wisdom and love you made all things.
Bless these men,
that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Clearly, what Father's Day means depends on our relationship to fathers: while we all have fathers, some are with us and some have died; some men are fathers; a mother has a unique relationship with the father of her children; some fathers have fathers who are living and sons who are fathers themselves; some sons and daughters have good relationships with their fathers, while others do not; some men are called "Father" but have no children of their own; and some men want to be fathers but have not yet had children. Some fathers are honored today, some are forgotten, some are ignored and some are mourning the loss of a child who called them, "Dad."

My own father was a good, hard-working, faithful provider and protector of his family. But as I observe dads with their sons today, I see a kind of relationship I wish my father and I might have shared, a closeness that seemed to escape us in spite of the love I know he had for me and I had for him. Times have changed and parenting roles are different than what I remember growing up - and I believe much of what I see is very good, indeed.

So, at the end of Father's Day, a little advice from a man who has no children but who is called "Father" by many:

Dads, you cannot tell your children often enough how much you love them. You cannot too many times put your arms around them or kiss them good night. There is no limit on how many times you can take each of your children, individually, for a walk, a talk, a ride or an ice cream cone. Make sure you call your children by name, and have special names for each of them. And if you have boys, Dad, be sure they hear you call them "son" in a way that lets them know how happy and proud you are to be their father. A son waits, even without knowing it, for his father's blessing on who he is and who he will become: find a thousand ways to give him that blessing. And, Dads: make sure your children know of your faith in the one Jesus called his Father. Pray with your children at home at night, and when times are hard and when times are great. Pray with your children at church on Sunday and share with them your trust in God.

I believe that the relationship of a father with his children is one of the great untapped natural and spiritual resources of the universe! There's love and power and blessing waiting to flood the hearts of families in every place and culture. Too many fathers come to the end of their lives wishing that they had done more of this or less of that and wondering where the time went... This is the day the Lord has made and the day to begin to want to be the father your children truly want you to be. Don't be afraid of this: that's exactly the kind of dad your children want you to be...

You're in my prayers!
Happy Father's Day!

-ConcordPastor