Foss is a freelance writer who lives in Springfield.
In revealing and reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God,
a man is called upon to ensure the harmonious and united development of
all members of the family: He will perform this task by exercising
generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the
mother, by a more solicitous commitment to education, a task he shares
with his wife, by work which is never a cause of division in the family
but promotes its unity and stability, and by means of the witness he
gives of an adult Christian life which effectively introduces the
children in to the living experience of Christ and the church.(Familiaris
Cosortio, 25)
Imagine what Jesus learned in Joseph's workshop; a trade to be sure,
but even more. He learned to be a man of character, to earn an honest
living, to be an upright citizen. Jesus spent thirty years at home
before he went into public life. Though little is written of Joseph in
scripture, we know he was a man of great character because we know his
Son. Joseph was a man for whom the Holy Father's exhortation above would
have been a welcome and holy call.
Fathers, your wife and your children are your vocation. You have been
called by God himself to sanctify them and return them all to Him in
heaven. By the grace of your baptism and the sacrament of matrimony, you
are priest, prophet, and king in the domestic church. The responsibility
is awesome, the blessings abundant.
To the small child in particular, you are God. When he is very
little, all he knows is that God is a father and since you are his
father, God must be just like you. (The way I figure it, if you've lived
up to your child's image of you at this stage, everything else is a
piece of cake.)
I think John Paul II knows the hearts of men. He reminds them not to
be consumed by their work to the extent that work becomes divisive in
the family. The pope cautions the workaholic. Wives and children would
surely trade material wealth for time with Dad. It was with tears in her
eyes that my friend showed me her new diamond anniversary band, "I
would have much rather had him home than have him work the hours that it
took to pay for this ring."
To be sure, fathers have the enormous responsibility of providing for
the physical needs of the family. To do the job well, however, does not
require all the latest gadgets or even a fully-funded college education.
Instead it requires that as you meet their needs, you make sure that
your children are ever-mindful of God's providence. God will not abandon
the faithful but will provide for their needs. If your children
leave your home understanding that money, like everything else, belongs
to God and is to be used to do His will you will have been a financially
successful father.
In this passage and several others, John Paul II reminds fathers of
their responsibility as primary educators of their children. Whether
formal education is undertaken in a public, parochial or home school,
the ultimate responsibility is the father's. Practically speaking,
fathers must remain in constant communication with mothers and with
teachers. Parents should make it a habit to frequently discuss their
children's strengths and weaknesses, particularly with regard to
character.
A father's primary responsibility however, is the one to be a
Christian witness to his children. The most immediate opportunity for
evangelization is in our own homes. The most pressing need is to bring
our children to a real and personal relationship with Christ. To that
end, it is imperative that children see their fathers pray. Teach them
the rote prayers of the Church, to be sure, but also teach them how to
share with their Lord and Savior those things which lie within their
hearts. Show your children how to talk to God.
When parents have decisions to make, take children through the
process of prayer and discernment. Show them that as Christians every
choice is one to be made in light of the will of God. Being Catholic is
not simply something we do on Sunday, it is who we are. We are children
of God, created in His likeness, to bring glory to Him. To be a man of
God is a call to leadership, to action, and to prayer. To be a
Christian father is to reveal and relive on earth the very fatherhood of
God.
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