Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 16, 2007
Father’s Day
Recently, while reading a newspaper article about an event in Iraq, I was stopped by the incident reported. One of the men sent from his home to serve our nation in the conflict in Iraq was walking with his company. He saw a grenade roll out from a building into the middle of the soldiers. Without hesitation, this soldier, a father of three young children, pushed a soldier out of the way and himself pounced on the grenade which immediately exploded. At that moment a martyr was born. A company of men was saved by one man’s sacrifice.
I think of Saint Luke’s words: For whoever would save his life, will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, will save it. (9:24).
For almost all of us here today, we hope and pray we will never find ourselves called to make such a sacrifice. But there is no doubt in my mind that the officer who so quickly gave himself to save others must have been a man who was not a stranger to sacrifice. There must have been many moments when he gave himself as a younger man, as a son, as a sibling, as a husband and as a Dad. I do not think a person who has not learned to be self-giving would easily accept such a sacrifice.
For us and anyone wanting to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who would want to be called a Christian, we know that we have to face from time to time a life that demands sacrifice, unselfish giving of something we possess or want. What mother who lives her vocation would seriously complain during the middle of the night when she would hear the words, "Mommy, I feel sick." What father who lives his vocation would not take on extra work or duties to make life better for his family? What priest, who truly loves his vocation, would hesitate to rush to a hospital when there was an emergency call?
Again, I turn to Saint Luke: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me (9:23)".
Today we celebrate Father’s Day. Some are father because they said "I do," and have brought children into the world. Some are called father because they said "I will" and serve you and the Church through the sacrament of Holy Orders.
Regardless of the kind of "father" one man may be, fatherhood requires total self-giving. Fathers of a family spend hours each day working at a job and then working at parenting. The priest, hopefully, will give hours of his time to being the spiritual director of a large family, meeting needs that are brought before him.
If homes seem to be forgotten because fathers are more concerned about careers or other activities, if parishes are abandoned because the spiritual father is more concerned about himself and other interests, is it a surprise that so many people wander aimlessly about seeking loving care, direction, purpose and companionship?
Married love and the celibate life can only be understood when total dedication and sacrifice serve as the underlying structure to the life. If we priests or you fathers live a selfish lives, we can hardly experience the joys of a genuine Christian life.
The life of father, whether married or celibate, demands commitment. Commitment requires maturity, sacrifice and an incredible amount of love, genuine love. You know, it means that we really don’t have time to give our choice of life a second thought once we have embarked upon it. Moments of doubt, moments of hesitation, moments of boredom ... we all experience them ... but they only serve to undermine commitment. We cannot give them a chance to build a nest within our hearts and minds.
Fatherhood requires responsibility. We cannot serve our families and our parishes if we, as fathers, go about looking for escapes to the responsibilities that are ours. Self-pity when days are tough is hardly the anecdote to curing difficulties. We have to trust that God will provide in one way or another.
Our world is calling out, louder than ever before for real men. Forget the quiche! Real men of conviction and commitment are needed today. Men who can carry out difficult decision are the kinds of models our young people need today. Read any issue of a paper or magazine that focus on people in today’s society. There you will find a society calling for men who are generous, self-giving, morally upright, honest, hard workers, men who are sensitive to the needs of other ... often a true test of manhood ... men who are respect others and are not afraid to show that ... men who teach their children respect for wives, co-workers and friends. These are the kinds of men so often not portrayed yet made idols in today’s media.
These words, I hope, have brought to mind at least one or two men who have impacted your life because of their truly manhood be it your father, grandfather, older brother, parish priest ... whoever. There are many married fathers and celibate fathers who struggle each day to make their lives models for others. Thank them on this day when we remember them.
And to each of us who is called "Dad" or "Father," it is a day when we can reflect upon our duties to each of our very different families. Our families, our parishes need well-integrated men. We must be true and loving men who daily give ourselves to the needs of those who count on us. Let us never hesitate to give ourselves to them.
June 16, 2007
Father’s Day
Recently, while reading a newspaper article about an event in Iraq, I was stopped by the incident reported. One of the men sent from his home to serve our nation in the conflict in Iraq was walking with his company. He saw a grenade roll out from a building into the middle of the soldiers. Without hesitation, this soldier, a father of three young children, pushed a soldier out of the way and himself pounced on the grenade which immediately exploded. At that moment a martyr was born. A company of men was saved by one man’s sacrifice.
I think of Saint Luke’s words: For whoever would save his life, will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, will save it. (9:24).
For almost all of us here today, we hope and pray we will never find ourselves called to make such a sacrifice. But there is no doubt in my mind that the officer who so quickly gave himself to save others must have been a man who was not a stranger to sacrifice. There must have been many moments when he gave himself as a younger man, as a son, as a sibling, as a husband and as a Dad. I do not think a person who has not learned to be self-giving would easily accept such a sacrifice.
For us and anyone wanting to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who would want to be called a Christian, we know that we have to face from time to time a life that demands sacrifice, unselfish giving of something we possess or want. What mother who lives her vocation would seriously complain during the middle of the night when she would hear the words, "Mommy, I feel sick." What father who lives his vocation would not take on extra work or duties to make life better for his family? What priest, who truly loves his vocation, would hesitate to rush to a hospital when there was an emergency call?
Again, I turn to Saint Luke: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me (9:23)".
Today we celebrate Father’s Day. Some are father because they said "I do," and have brought children into the world. Some are called father because they said "I will" and serve you and the Church through the sacrament of Holy Orders.
Regardless of the kind of "father" one man may be, fatherhood requires total self-giving. Fathers of a family spend hours each day working at a job and then working at parenting. The priest, hopefully, will give hours of his time to being the spiritual director of a large family, meeting needs that are brought before him.
If homes seem to be forgotten because fathers are more concerned about careers or other activities, if parishes are abandoned because the spiritual father is more concerned about himself and other interests, is it a surprise that so many people wander aimlessly about seeking loving care, direction, purpose and companionship?
Married love and the celibate life can only be understood when total dedication and sacrifice serve as the underlying structure to the life. If we priests or you fathers live a selfish lives, we can hardly experience the joys of a genuine Christian life.
The life of father, whether married or celibate, demands commitment. Commitment requires maturity, sacrifice and an incredible amount of love, genuine love. You know, it means that we really don’t have time to give our choice of life a second thought once we have embarked upon it. Moments of doubt, moments of hesitation, moments of boredom ... we all experience them ... but they only serve to undermine commitment. We cannot give them a chance to build a nest within our hearts and minds.
Fatherhood requires responsibility. We cannot serve our families and our parishes if we, as fathers, go about looking for escapes to the responsibilities that are ours. Self-pity when days are tough is hardly the anecdote to curing difficulties. We have to trust that God will provide in one way or another.
Our world is calling out, louder than ever before for real men. Forget the quiche! Real men of conviction and commitment are needed today. Men who can carry out difficult decision are the kinds of models our young people need today. Read any issue of a paper or magazine that focus on people in today’s society. There you will find a society calling for men who are generous, self-giving, morally upright, honest, hard workers, men who are sensitive to the needs of other ... often a true test of manhood ... men who are respect others and are not afraid to show that ... men who teach their children respect for wives, co-workers and friends. These are the kinds of men so often not portrayed yet made idols in today’s media.
These words, I hope, have brought to mind at least one or two men who have impacted your life because of their truly manhood be it your father, grandfather, older brother, parish priest ... whoever. There are many married fathers and celibate fathers who struggle each day to make their lives models for others. Thank them on this day when we remember them.
And to each of us who is called "Dad" or "Father," it is a day when we can reflect upon our duties to each of our very different families. Our families, our parishes need well-integrated men. We must be true and loving men who daily give ourselves to the needs of those who count on us. Let us never hesitate to give ourselves to them.
