Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to all Dads!

May you have a blessed day with your children.

The 3rd Sunday in June each year is observed as Father’s Day. St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers, and the ideal saint to be featured for Father’s Day. Other great examples of father in the Bible includes Abraham the father of faith who trusted God’s assurance that his children would become a great nation, Jairus who humbled himself before Jesus for the sake of his dying daughter and the father from Jesus parable of the prodigal son. By the dedication and faithfulness from the fathers we encounter in the Bible, the fathers who exemplify the best qualities of parenting. 

Luke 8:41-42

41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

Especially on this day dedicated to Fathers and on every other day, let us be grateful for

~ Our fathers, by birth or adoption, who love us and support us through life.

~ Our Church leaders, who take on the paternal role of guiding us through life.

~ And God our Father, who will always teach justly and grant us boundless mercy.

As our Father, God has promised to care for us, help us to grow, guide us with justice and to be merciful to us. God the Father gave up his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that we might be saved through him. He is the perfect example of the vocation of fatherhood, where fathers are to sacrifice their lives for their families by :

~ Being the spiritual leader and guardian of their families.

~ Praying for and with their families.

~ Being a courageous witness to the Gospel.

~ Providing care and support for their families.

~ Serving as an example of goodness and truth.

~ Leading with courage and accountability.

~ Laying down one’s life for another.

Fathers reflects of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness in a special way and like God will do, they also will correct us when we sin but always pick us up when we fall.

"If a man is lazy, dishonest, impure or indecisive, we can expect no better in his children. On the other hand, a father who loves and respects his wife and who leads his family with decision and dedication is the greatest gift a child can have. In an age when fear dominates every relationship, we need real fathers more than ever men who are beacons of light, and who provide companionship, love and hope in a world filled with loneliness, pain and despair. Do you have such a father? If you do, you are truly fortunate. Let Father’s Day remind you to take a moment and be grateful for him and to thank him."

taken from For Every Child, a Father by Johann Christoph Arnold

Paul taught that to honour one’s earthly father is not only a commandment but the first commandment that, when obeyed, has a promise of things going well and living long on the earth. “Honour your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3). We can clearly see that God does recognize the importance of fathers and even gave them special honour throughout history.

Prayer of faithful for Fathers Day

For fathers: 

That they be granted strength and courage to lead their families toward a deeper love for Jesus 

Christ;

We pray to the Lord.

For fathers who struggle:

That society might grow supportive and encouraging to them in their challenges;

We pray to the Lord. 

For fathers who grieve and mourn, especially those who have lost a child before birth:

That they find consolation in God’s promise of life;

We pray to the Lord.

For the fatherless:

That they be granted faithful and loving fatherly role models to help them grow in love for God 

our Heavenly Father;

We pray to the Lord.

Prayer for Fathers

God our Father, We give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old.

We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; May they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice.

We pray for our own Fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; May they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.

We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice.

We remember fathers, grandfather, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. 

Amen.

Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Deuteronomy 6:4-10

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,

Ephesians 6:4 

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Proverbs 23:22 

Listen to your father, who gave you life, 

and do not despise your mother when she is old.