Author: Beth Zanotelli, Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Palm Beach
When we make the Sign of the Cross, we pray, “In the name of the Father”, so we begin this prayer with the Father. God, our Father! He is the beginning, our beginning, He is our Creator. God the Father is our true source of strength, and God is Love. He hears our prayers and knows our joys and our sorrows. There is nothing that can compare to God’s great love! Most important, there is nothing that can separate us from God’s great love – nothing.
When we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, again we begin with “Our Father who art in heaven. We give him the praise that is due when we pray, “Hallowed be thy name”. He should be our most important relationship, and we revere Him with the utmost love and loyalty.
So, how do we learn about God’s great love? How do we know the love of the Father? How do we appreciate the gift of our life, given by God the Father? One, very important way that we first come to know the love of our heavenly Father….is through our earthly father. The gift of fatherhood is such a special role and so often overlooked. Our Heavenly Father loves us, so too our earthly dads love us giving us a glimpse of the Father’s great love for us! Earthly dads can be our biological dads or sometimes we have “father-figures” who are our spiritual dads. These great men have a special role to play in their children’s lives. Our earthly fathers are called to sacrifice for us, to teach us, and to bear witness to the faith. They point us to our heavenly Father. If our families could be seen as a team, dads would be the most beloved coach of our family team.
The role of fatherhood is daunting and is filled with many joys, sacrifices, and trials. We know our earthly father can only give us a glimpse of God. Our dads are human, and they need a Savior, just like us. Often our earthly dads need to learn how to love rightly. They may not understand how to love as the Father has loved us.
Pray for fathers! Pray that they find healing from any brokenness. Pray that they can inspire their children; pray that they can forgive like God the Father; pray that they can be supportive and understanding. Pray for fathers to always be concerned for others, especially the members of their family so they can be a witness of the strength and love of God, our heavenly Father. Pray for fathers that they can love their heavenly Father, their wives and in turn their children with Christ-like love. Take the time to say, “thank you and I love you”. Thank them for their sacrifices, for teaching us, and for giving us a glimpse of God the Father’s love.
Here’s what the scriptures have to say:
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
1 John 4:8-10 – Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.
Deuteronomy 4:29 – Yet there too you shall seek the Lord, your God; and you shall indeed find him when you search after him with your whole heart and your whole soul. In your distress, when all these things shall have come upon you, you shall finally return to the Lord, your God and heed his voice. Since the Lord, your God is a merciful God, he will not abandon and destroy you, nor forget the covenant which under oath he made with your fathers.
John 13:34-35 – I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.