The necessity of fathers cannot be overlooked in the Church or society. At home, fathers play a critical role as the spiritual leader of the family.
We show our gratitude for their love, protection, and guidance by praying for our fathers, whether they are alive or deceased.
We acknowledge God as our Father in Heaven, giving thanks to Him for all that He does for us.
St. Joseph, is also honored by the Catholic Church as the adoptive father of Jesus and role model for all fathers.
Whether a biological father or not, every man is called to be a spiritual father to those around him. Catholic priests especially, are called to offer spiritual protection, nurturing, and guidance to the people in their care.
Father’s Day, a secular holiday in the United States, is celebrated on the third Sunday of June.
The irreplaceable role of fathers:
Dads make a difference:
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6: 4
Father’s lead their families to Heaven:
A good father puts his wife and children ahead of himself:
Critics of religion have said that speaking of the “Father”, of God, is a projection of our ancestors in Heaven. But the opposite is true: in the Gospel Christ shows us who is the Father and as He is a true father we can understand true fatherhood and even learn true fatherhood. Let us think of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount where He says: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven”. It is the very love of Jesus, the Only-Begotten Son — Who goes even to the point of giving Himself on the Cross — that reveals to us the true nature of the Father: He is Love and in our prayers as children we too enter this circuit of love, the love of God that purifies our desires, our attitudes marked by closure, self-sufficiency, and the typical selfishness of the former man.
Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 23 May 2012
Teach your children well:
Essential fatherhood:
Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. “With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?”
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2215
St. Joseph, model for Catholic fathers:
What it means to call God “Father”:
Every man is called to be a spiritual father:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
A spiritual show from the 17th century:
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