The Sacred Role of Fatherhood
Summary of Headings
- The Attack on Fatherhood
- God as the Source of Paternity
- The Presence and Authority of Fathers
- Fathers as Judges and Lawmakers
- The Educator's Role
- Teaching by Example
- Sacrificial Love and Vocation
The Attack on Fatherhood
One of the most attacked and maligned aspects of society in the modern world is that of fatherhood. It is despised in so many ways, cast down, considered to be somehow inferior to that of motherhood, and the like. There is always a certain amount of discouragement in the masculine attributes that are supposed to encourage fatherhood. There are so many different attacks, in different ways, that these attacks present themselves, so that paternity has become something that is almost shameful and wrong. And even if it is not something that is considered shameful and wrong, it is either effeminized by the concept of what paternity should be in the modern world, or it is something that is treated boorishly and with contempt by the men themselves, because they believe that either A, they have to live up to a certain stereotype, or they have to separate themselves so much from the effeminizing mentality of the world
God as the Source of Paternity
that they go to the other extreme. So, masculinity, paternity are things that are deeply under persecution right now. It would be good for us to understand, first of all, why that is. Why does the world hate fatherhood? And the reason for that is very simple. The prince of this world, the devil himself, wants to recreate all of creation in his own image. Of course, he cannot do so, because only God can create. So, therefore, he hates one thing. A thing that God does that no one else can do, and that is life, give life. A father gives life. That is his role. That is what he does.
God, being the author of all life, the one who actually creates life, the only one who can create life, is the example and the type of what a father is. He is the source. He is the source of paternity, as St. Paul loves to say. So, therefore, the world, being under the influence of the prince of this world, hating God, tries to pervert and corrupt the source of life itself. So, paternity. It creates a different, or tries to create a different version of what that paternity is supposed to be. It perverts and manipulates it in a way that it is, that it is inappropriate.
Then, unfortunately, we have to look at, therefore, what is paternity and how we are supposed to live it. The first thing that we are supposed to remind ourselves about is the fact that God is the source of paternity. So, all you fathers, that is the very first thing. You are fathers precisely because God gave you that gift. You owe it to him. And also, being the source of paternity, that also means that you have to follow his example. You have to live up to that example. You have to be, if you will, God on earth. Obviously, we're not God, but we have to be the ones who give God.
Because God gives himself to us, but he gives himself to us through, many times, human means. We have life because we have a father. We have supernatural life because God is our father. But, that life that we have, and the supernatural life that we have, natural and supernatural, must be cultivated and encouraged by a father here on earth living in the example of God the Father.
The Presence and Authority of Fathers
So, let's contemplate a little bit how God is a father, and therefore, we have to live up to that example. And, therefore, how we should be fathers. The first step in that is to understand who is God. And, understand a little bit more of what his paternity for us looks like. Let's consider one attribute of his. Omnipresence. One of the major problems in the modern world is the absence of fathers. God is never not present. He can't be. He is omnipresent. He is omnipresent. He is always and everywhere present. Because that is his very nature. A father must be present in his children's lives.
He must be omnipresent, but not in the same way. You can't be physically present in your child's life all the time. You can't even always be home and with them. You have things to do. You have to actually go out into the world. But, who you are. Your presence. Your authority. You. Your essence, if you want to call it that. Must still reside in the home. In their formation. And, in their education. And, in the very spirit of what the hearth and home is. Because that is what God is. God is omnipresent. You must be present for your children. God is the lawmaker. The father must be a lawmaker.
He must be the one who establishes and fixes the law. By the way, I am speaking of fathers specifically.
Fathers as Judges and Lawmakers
But, understand that husband and wife must collaborate and work together for these ends. That's just that we had Mother's Day. I always talk about mothers. The world always talks about mothers. It's time to talk about fathers in the same characteristic. With the same attention. So, anything I'm saying about fathers, wives are a part of. But, specifically speaking. To fathers. You must be the ones who lay down the law. You must be the ones who are the judges. And, the ones who set the tone in the home. But, be careful of what tone that is. God is a judge. So, you must be a judge.
But, the judge isn't the one who hounds the people to make sure they're following the law. It's an analogy I use too often in marriage preparation. The wife and the mother is the police officer and the husband is the judge. If the two don't work together, it doesn't work out very well, does it? We have to make sure that the two collaborate well. But, the judge is the one who establishes the law. And, he is the one who makes sure that punishments for violations against the law are established. This comes from God himself because he is the judge. Please note that God can be quite a strict judge.
His punishments can be quite severe. But, he is also very merciful and very gentle. And, he doesn't punish us according to what we deserve at any point. He is merciful to us and he mitigates according to our weaknesses and whatever else. But, he has to be the one to set a just law in accordance with what God would do himself. What God does do himself each and every day in our lives. And, he is the one who sets the tone in the home. That is how a father is supposed to evaluate and apply justice in his home. Being strict and even sometimes rather terrifying, that's fine.
God is strict and God at times is terrifying. If you ever have any doubts about that, go to the ocean. It's beautiful. It looks magnificent. It's very peaceful and calming. else, but it's also terrifying in its power. It's a very good representation of God Himself, and also a very good representation of what a father should be. A father should be loving, he should be present, he should be supportive, he should be all these things, but he should also be a representation of the power and the discipline of God.
The Educator's Role
God is an educator. God teaches us each and every day. He forms us, He guides us, He educates us, He encourages us and prompts us. He is a teacher, He is a tutor, He is a master, He is all of these things. He demonstrates to us how it is we are supposed to live our lives. When we fail, He corrects us in a way that teaches us, or should teach us. If there's a reason that we're still not learning the lesson, it's certainly not because of the teacher. It's student error. We are the ones who mess up our own education. God is the one who is trying to teach us. If we would quiet ourselves down, we would hear those teachings a lot more.
If we would back off and actually think about things a little more peacefully and logically, we would understand and appreciate more the lesson that God is giving us. He is giving to us, but most of the time we're so self -centered we don't hear it. A father must be a teacher. He must be a guide and He must be a light for His children to show them how they are supposed to live their lives, how they are supposed to be these generous souls giving of themselves to the world. Remember that we are not here just to be good people. We are here to be good people. We are here to be good people. We are here to be good people.
We are here to be good people. We are here to be good people. We are here to be good people. We are here to be good people. We are here to be saints. We are here to know, love, and serve God and to be happy with Him in Heaven. That is the lesson that a father must teach his child first and foremost and above all. Not just to get along with people, not just to be good at sports, not to be whatever, but first and foremost to seek perfection and sanctity. That is the first teaching that a father must give because that is the whole reason that God created us.
That is the purpose of our life. And if you don't give purpose to the lives of your children, they will be lost. But it must be that purpose because it is God himself who gives you your title and your vocation. So you have to follow his plan, not your own. All these other things may be good, but they are supposed to be serving the greater cause, which is our sanctification. Sanctification, to grow in virtue, to be better people, to choose God above all things. Now, God doesn't teach us by just yelling at us all the time. God is always preaching, but not always in the way that we expect.
When we think of a teacher, we think of somebody lecturing us from a chalkboard. That is not how God teaches us.
Teaching by Example
Once in a while, hence the Ten Commandments, for example, the Bible, etc. But once in a while, most of the time, his education on us is specifically through action. What happens around us and within us. The decisions we make have consequences. We learn from those consequences. Or we should. That is how a father must teach, too. First and foremost, by example. When we think of God, we know what he is. He is all holy. He is perfect. He only makes the right decisions because it is the only thing that he can do. A child must look at his father and know what God is.
By his example. And he must educate his children in how to be good, holy people. By his example. How he attends the sacraments. How he attends Mass. How he dresses. How he speaks. How he respects. And how he practices virtue. All of these things. Are the essential education. Are the essential vocation of men. Lastly. A father must teach his child the hardest lesson of all. How to love. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. The most important thing. To God the Father. Or the other two people of the Blessed Trinity. Those are exactly what he gave to us. We, his adopted children.
Who had abandoned him. Who had turned away from him.
Sacrificial Love and Vocation
Who were cut off from him by sin. To win us back. To earn our salvation for us. He sacrificed the thing he loved most. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. So if a father wants to understand how he is supposed to love his child. That is the image. He must have in front of him at all times. Christ pouring himself out to the last drop of blood. Out of love for his father. Out of the father's love for us. That is the image of sacrificial love that we must carry with us. Each and every day as fathers. That is the extent to which we should be willing to consecrate ourselves.
And to sacrifice ourselves. To sacrifice ourselves. For the salvation. For the education. For the guidance of our children. There should be no price too high to pay. To move your children closer to God. Or to give God more perfectly to your children. The spirit of sacrifice must live in the father's heart. Otherwise it is not God who is giving anything to these children. It is only a human. And that won't save. It must be God that you give. The only way that is possible is through sacrificial love. The sacrifice of self to give God. It is the most essential part of being a father.
This is a day in and day out job. Each and every day. Constantly. Regardless of everything else. And yes, you're not God. We're not God. I understand that. And yet, that is the vocation. That is the calling that you are called to. That is the heights you must try to climb. That is the goal for each and every day. Every one of you. Whether you recognize it or not. Whether you've lived according to that up to this point or not. But that is the sum total and the entirety of your job which you are obliged before God to do. It's a solemn, beautiful, powerful, and heavy obligation and vocation that you have.
But it is a gift from God also. And when you get discouraged thinking about the fact that, Well, I can't live up to that standard. I'm not going to be able to do this. It's too hard. I don't know how. The world is too powerful. When the world starts to discourage you with all of the attacks on paternity and masculinity, try to remember one very specific thing. God would not have given you this gift and this vocation of fatherhood if he did not also give you the assistance that you needed to perform it up to the level that he demands. You have all of the grace in the world at your fingertips if you ask for it, if you use it.
But in order to do that, you must try to be a saint now. You must work on saintliness in your own lives now. You must practice that sacrifice day in and day out now. Now. The only way you're going to learn that is by the silent contemplation of your fatherhood in God himself. Understanding who you are through him. By doing that, you do the work of God himself here on this earth. You create saints. You give life itself. In a culture that hates life and loves death, in a culture that promotes sin, you can actually give life. You can give light. You can be a guide.
You can be a protector. You can support when other people try to tear down. You can be present and faithful throughout the life of your children, and as a result, the lives of their children, and so forth and so on. God gives life, and you are the means by which he gives life. But you must faithfully give it according to his vocation. Not according to what you think you need to do. Or the world says you must do. But by doing so, you practice a vocation that is very lofty, very beautiful, that gives life. And by faithfully following in the footsteps of Christ, and in the mirror of being a mirror of what God is for the rest of the world, we will be able to live grace, give grace, and be sanctified.
And be able to enter the gates of heaven with those beautiful words, Well done, good and faithful servant. While the results of your work continue on earth, and God's life is spread generation to generation through your faithful service. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Summary
The homily begins by addressing the modern world's attack on fatherhood, highlighting how masculinity and paternity are often maligned and misunderstood. The preacher explains that this is due to the influence of the devil, who seeks to pervert God's creation. Fathers are reminded of their divine role as life-givers, reflecting God's own paternity. The sermon continues by emphasizing the importance of fathers being present in their children's lives, much like God's omnipresence. Fathers are called to be lawmakers and judges in their homes, setting a just tone and collaborating with their spouses to guide their families. The preacher underscores the need for fathers to be educators, teaching their children through example and leading them towards sanctity. Finally, the homily focuses on the concept of sacrificial love, urging fathers to emulate Christ's self-giving love. Fathers are encouraged to embrace their vocation with faith, trusting in God's grace to fulfill their role. By doing so, they participate in God's work, creating saints and spreading life and grace across generations.