St. John Nepomucene

Father's Day

 
The weekend of June 15^th & 16^th we prayed for all our fathers, both living and deceased.  We also celebrated Trinity Sunday.  The Blessed Trinity is three Divine Persons in One God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Trinity is a loving communion of persons.  All of us can model our relationships on this loving community of persons. 
 
As fathers, a good practice is to pray the Our Father every day.  It is the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.  As modern day disciples, all of us are called to pray that prayer.  Fathers are called to provide for the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of their families.  One worthwhile practice could be to lead your family in praying this prayer, often possibly daily.
 
A number of years ago a fragment turned up with the word, daily.  In Matthew’s Gospel, the word, daily, is used in this prayer.  This was perhaps the first time in Greek literature that this word was used.  So what was the common understanding of the word, daily?
 
The papyrus fragment that used the word daily was actually a woman’s shopping list for a particular day.  It was a note to buy particular items of food for the day.  In other words, it means God provides for our needs on a daily basis.  As one song puts it, one day at a time, Sweet Jesus…one day at a time.
 
Daily bread means God provides for our needs for the day.  You get bread for the day, not for the next ten years, not for tomorrow.  You get what you need for the day.
 
It is a challenge to provide for the needs of others.  God’s help is needed.  Oftentimes professional people with expertise in various fields may be necessary resources – doctors, counselors, lawyers, financial planners, etc.  Pray for God’s wisdom in addressing the needs of those in your family.
 
All of us can take consolation in the thought that when we pray the Our Father; God gives us exactly what we need for the day.  The Bread of this Eucharist is a sign that God is here to feed our deepest hungers.
 
As fathers, it is a challenge and often times a struggle to provide for the needs of your wife and children.  Pray the Our Father and ask Our Heavenly Father for the grace to provide for the needs of those entrusted to your care. 
 
Another thought for those of us who are fathers is to reflect upon the forgiveness of the Heavenly Father.  We pray forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  We are all familiar of the parable of the Prodigal Son which also is sometimes called the parable of the Merciful Father. The father in the parable lovingly and mercifully welcomes his son back home.  As fathers, we are called to be images of this father who is an image of Our Heavenly Father.  Our wives, sons and daughters will do the wrong thing, will make mistakes, may even do or say things that are hurtful to us.  Rather than get emotionally worked up, which is easy to do, we are called to be patient and forgiving.  Pray the Our Father and ask the Heavenly Father for the grace to be loving and forgiving. 
 
We give thanks today and every day for all our fathers, both living and deceased.  We are grateful for what they have done for us over the years.  We thank them for all the love and guidance which we have received from them over the years.  May they continue to become images of God’s love.