Be the Light of… Leadership

Vision, Creativity, Innovation, Direction

Father’s Day

In the Bible we find many examples of fatherly figures.

Of course, the most important father figure in the Bible is that of God the Father, the ultimate role model for all human dads. His love, kindness, patience, wisdom, and protectiveness are impossible standards to live up to. Fortunately, he is also forgiving and understanding, answering fathers' prayers and giving them expert guidance so they can be the man their family wants them to be.

Abraham is counted as the father of faith. The word "faith" means trust in God--being able to rely on that which is dependable. Abraham trusted God's assurance that his children would become a great nation. Abraham believed that God could do what was foretold to him. He went forward in confidence that God could accomplish, through him, a benefit for all of the world.

Joseph of Galilee is an exemplary father in the Bible. He married Mary, despite the unusual circumstances of her pregnancy. He dared to be unconventional because he trusted that God was working through her and him. He was a righteous man who dared to take on the roles of husband and foster father. And as refugees from danger, after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, it is clear that he protected his family by going beyond what was familiar to find a safe haven. We can learn much about fatherhood from Joseph.

A final father from the Bible that is impressive is the one who had two sons, one of whom went astray. This is, of course, the story told by Jesus of the prodigal son. The father in the parable teaches his two sons powerful lessons of love: the one who went astray who discovered that his father's care came to him even when he had run away from it and the other who struggled to understand such extravagant love in the face of his brother's failures and his own fidelity. The father in the story, like God, never gave up on either of his children.

On Father's Day let us remember that we have been given a heritage of dedication and faithfulness from the fathers we encounter in the Bible and from those fathers who exemplify the best qualities of parenting.

No Mass at SCA this Friday 30^th August