It’s a good time for us to think back upon our own experiences, and remember how it was when our fathers, and other important men in our lives, took time to give gentle guidance, rather than just barking out orders. Remember how important it was to see the authoritative men in our lives showing that they were men of faith, rather than leaving religion to women and children. Remember how it was when our fathers and other important men in our lives showed trust in us, rather than trying to control our every decision, our every action.
The happiest and best times were when we saw the image of Christ, and when we experienced Christ’s compassion in the men who had authority over us.
And lest this be just about fathers, here is a brief reminder to wives and mothers: how important it is that you give that good example to your children by showing your love and respect, by not treating husbands as though they’re simply another child in the family, by not using phrases like “that father of yours…” in the hearing of your children. The foundation of good fatherhood is the same foundation of a good marriage: a mutual respect, and a constant seeking of the will of God for the whole family.
Remember, fathers, our children’s understanding of God is very much influenced by the image they have of us. Their experience of what we show of fatherly love and fatherly strength and fatherly justice is a great influence upon their own understanding of God our Heavenly Father.
Christ our Good Shepherd gives us the model. He had compassion upon the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And what kind of a shepherd is He? He’s one whom we obey because we know He was willing to sacrifice Himself for us. He’s one whom we follow because He gently leads us rather than impatiently shoving us along through life. He’s the one we stay close to, because He is generous with His gifts to us, and then allows us to use them, rather than dictating our every thought and action.
Fathers, and men who are in fatherly roles, need to look to the compassionate Christ for the model of what our own authority over others should be like, not like the Scribes and Pharisees, who bound great burdens upon others.
And, of course, we have as our intercessor the great St. Joseph – the man who was, above all else, obedient to God. May our children learn obedience through our own obedience, and may they learn to love because we have loved them with the depth of the gentle love and compassion we have received from God, our own Heavenly Father.
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Painting: "In His Spirit"
by Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)