Happy Father’s Day

I came across this article to share with you:

It was Theodore Hesbergh who said: “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”  In some ways this insight almost seems too simple.  After all, don’t we expect a lot of other things of fathers – namely, that they would provide, protect, and nurture?  Yet when we consider that marriage is the foundation of the family, then it follows that children need this solid foundation more than anything else a parent can give them.  That is why divorce and children outside of marriage are some of the greatest tragedies.  And that undoubtedly explains the extremely high correlation between the relationship of our parents and the level of hardship we face in our life.

“Just about every major social problem we have has at least one correlative factor in common: broken homes. That is not to say there aren’t plenty of exceptions.  I have met many single parents whom I admire for the sacrifices they make, overcoming great adversity to provide a stable upbringing for their children.  But even many of them appreciate not only the difficulty involved, but the innate needs of their children that are not being met.  It seems that our spiritual leaders were quite attuned to this reality.  ‘The family is the first essential cell of human society,’ taught Pope John XXIII.  And Pope John Paul II emphasized again and again, ‘As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.’

“Unfortunately, we live in a culture that increasingly believes divorce is no big deal.  The media that we take in every day, often without thinking, and which conditions our thinking, attempts to convince us that sex and children outside of a marriage bond is just fine for the children.  And at the root we have a sentiment that ‘spouses may come and go, but I will always love my children.’  But the fact is, that children thrive when they receive the love of a father and a mother, a father and a mother whose love for each other is evident and strong.  That is why your marriage and your love for each other is the most important thing you can focus on.  For a married person, it’s your first vocation in life.  It comes even before loving your kids.  You love your kids most by loving each other first.  That is what ensures a safe and solid foundation for your children to grow within.

“And so on this day we entrust the many fathers among us to the Lord’s goodness and mercy, asking that He give them a heart for their spouses, and in this way to give to his children.”

Happy Father’s Day to all our dads!