Divine Fatherhood is the Source of Human Fatherhood: Fathers as Gift

By Deacon Keith Fournier
6/17/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

My father's favorite song was the Louis Armstrong classic 'What a Wonderful World'. Each father's day since he died, in a melancholy mix of mourning and memories, I listen to that song and shed more than a few tears

Fathers are the foundation of families, they give them identity and meaning in both life and in death. On this weekend when we stop the frenetic pace of life to honor and remember fathers, we have an opportunity to reflect on what really matters most in our lives. They are a gift to be received and we should thank them if they are still with us. If not, we should still thank them, honor them, remember them and learn all we can from the example of their lives.

It was that fighting spirit which I have particularly grown to admire as the years have passed by. Thank God he passed it on to me

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CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."(Ephesians 3:14 - 19)

Those profound words were written by the Apostle Paul to the early Christians in Ephesus. The Greek word for Father and family are connected. Paul is using them in a sort of play on words to make a profoundly important theological and ontological point. Fathers are the foundation of families, they give them identity and meaning in both life and in death. The Catholic Catechism says, "The divine fatherhood is the source of human fatherhood; this is the foundation of the honor owed to parents." (CCC#2214)

The Biblical understanding of naming someone was a far more significant action than many contemporary approaches to choosing names communicate. To name was understood to confer identity and introduce the child into an ongoing relationship. Naming still confers identity and relationship. Understanding the implications of that fact takes a lifetime, and beyond.

On this weekend when we all stop the frenetic pace of life to honor and remember fathers, we have an opportunity to reflect on what really matters most in our lives. The ones who have "named" us, our fathers, have helped to give us our identity. They are a gift to be received from the very hand of God the Father. We should thank them if they are still with us, and shower them with affection. If not, we should still thank them, honor them, remember them - and continue to learn all we can from the example of their lives as we seek to live our own in love.

I lost my dear father in 2001. It is hard to believe it has been that long. In that same year, my beloved wife also lost her father, my father in law, with whom I also had a wonderful relationship. We refer to that year still, with a heartbreaking sadness, as the year of our two fathers. When father's day rolls around, we still grieve, even as we laugh and remember them both.

For some reason, this year seems to be especially hard. As I age, I realize how much I am like my father, both for good and.not so good. My expressions, my tone of voice and my temperament, all reflect his influence. As I age I grow in my respect for him and all of the sacrifices he made for me, my brothers, my sister and my mother. I also wish I had had more time with him. Trusting in the mercy and love of God, and growing older, I now know that wish will come to pass. I eagerly await it.

My father's favorite song was the Louis Armstrong classic "What a Wonderful World". Each father's day since he died, in a melancholy mix of mourning and memories, I listen to that song and shed more than a few tears. As the years go by, its words and insights open up in their simplicity and wisdom. My father understood that the words spoke to the things that really matter - once everything that pretends to matter is stripped away. As his life unfolded in those later years, when his congestive heart failure seemed to take its greatest toll, he loved the song and the sentiment it expressed even more.

As the years have passed, my sense of loss has not dissipated. It has only changed. As I so often tell grieving family members at funerals in my ministry as a Deacon, the pain of loss on the memory of our deceased loved ones is just another manifestation of the eternal nature of all love. This weekend, I will know the truth of that insight once again as I watch the smiling eyes of our sixth grandchild and only wish my Dad were with us to enjoy these precious moments. When we are with our own children and grandchildren, we tell the stories of our fathers with fondness and ever deepening gratitude.

My father grew in tenderness and compassion as he faced death. It is funny how difficulties and struggle, suffering and strife, seem to be the most effective means of refining us all. He finally died of the heart ailment which had claimed so much of his vigor. However, like every struggle my father faced, he did not give up. He was a fighter and he did not want to go. In fact, I was at his "death bed" a couple of times, or so we thought it was his death bed. He decided he had more jokes to tell and more love to give.

It was that fighting spirit which I have particularly grown to admire as the years have passed by. Thank God he passed it on to me. Oh, as a younger man, he perhaps fought some of the wrong battles. I know I certainly did. We all do. But, ...

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

anitalounurse
1 year ago
Beautiful beyond words
Bill Sr.
1 year ago
Unlock your hearts to your FATHER
There is nothing we can ever do that is better for ourselves and/or mankind than turning our attention to our Infinite God humbly in thanksgiving, offering our lives and our work and praising him for his. But the problem is that we often without realizing it permit our finite thoughts and activities or work to overcome us by thinking we are or can become any thing more than simply a child of the FATHER we call God.
We must first realize and accept that being his child is quite enough. What more could you want than that? For heavens sake, isn’t that the greatest thing you could imagine, being the offspring of the God of the universe? Once you take the time to put your arms around that truth you can begin to understand just what you are, where you are, and gain control of your thoughts in order to properly direct the life graciously given to you by your FATHER.
Jesus, the one you call Lord, the one you hope to follow, the one who teaches us, the one who was sent from the Father to redeem us from our confusion and sin first and always acted, taught, prayed and worked …in the name of the Father. His Father’s business was all he ever had on his mind and couldn’t wait to begin being involved in it even as a child.
Do you really think there is a better thing to do with your life than what Jesus did with his? It is good that we try to follow the lead of Christ in our daily lives giving help to those in need and spreading God’s truth and message of love, mercy, and forgiveness. But never ever forget that what he said or did and the message he gave was that of the Father through their Spirit. This is the same spirit which he sent to his church at Pentecost and on to us after he returned to the Father.
Understanding this we, like Christ, recognize we too must be doing the work of the Father and as such we report to him, we go to him for instruction, we ask him for help, and we praise and thank him for our being. How wonderful it is to know and be known by the one who Christ addressed as our father (who is) in heaven and what power and majesty he possesses and that he knows each and every one of us by name and all he asks is that we acknowledge him for who He is. This is the secret that leads us to the joy of personal prayer.

You see, through the works he preformed, our master the Teacher came humbly in human form into our world with great love to gather and instruct his children. He proved to all to be God among us as the Spirit had named him at the time of his conception. Thus our merciful and almighty God revealed He would humbly go so far as to be human…. for our sake. Now, the Spirit of Love at Pentecost comes to the disciples, and through them, to all humanity to give us the strength and courage to go forth in His name accepting the challenge to do God’s work on earth…. for His sake.
Our own spirit, made in the image of our creator, now calls upon our humility before the God of the universe, our own Father, to accept the relationship and realize we are not alone anymore. We have all the backing we will ever need to live our life in peace no matter what the challenges of this world sends our way. Know that your ever loving mercifully forgiving always available Father is eternally in control.
It all comes down to this. We have in Christ through God’s Devine LOVE for mankind the armor for the battle against the Evil One who was able in the beginning to convince our first parents man was designed to be more than the simple beloved children of the living God. The Deceiver, a more powerful spirit than man but no match for the creator, proved to be a kidnaper of the Fathers children hoping to lie and make all who would join him captives of corruption. Jesus, God’s very Word and Truth was mercifully sent by the Father to dispel the lie and reclaim the misguided lost and stolen for Him. All those who will believe in Him, regardless of their errors, are welcome to return home with Christ to the love and protection of the Father who alone can give eternal comfort to their spirit. Those who chose not to believe and reject the love of the Father will be lost forever along with the Evil One who despises the Truth.
Pray then, as Jesus did, to your Father in heaven seeking his help and guidance as any obedient child would do knowing how much they are loved. Be mindful always that the Father gives solutions not as this world would conceive but as His eternal Truth would in justice have it. Trust, as Jesus did, that what you ask and what you seek filtered within the Divine Will of our all knowing and loving Father, in his time and his wise judgment, shall be granted to you.
This surrender to Truth will set your heart free in humility and honor to approach the One who loves you. That heart, at ease with our almighty Father, before it even begins to speak will hear his voice saying …Peace to you my child… and our burdens are lifted, life and prayer become joy.
jh
1 year ago
A very warm tribute to your father and father-in-law, as well as to fatherhood! May more men appreciate the gift and responsibility of being a father and recognize how strong, loving, and responsible men give us a sense of security and well-being.

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