Fathers
When we think of Job, we think of suffering. And it is true—Job suffered far more than any of us can imagine. Despite the fact that he was completely innocent, he endured intense physical pain, lack of sleep, hunger, the loss of his enormous wealth, the death of all of his children, and the insults and criticisms…
Read MoreSt. Joseph often slips under the radar because of his quiet demeanor and hidden life. However, he has much to teach us about growing in holiness. Here are 5 reasons to discover St. Joseph. 1. He is the Patron Saint of Workers. As men work takes up a great portion of our lives. Often we struggle to…
Read More“I’m just like you, Daddy,” says my little boy Peter to me one day, looking up at me with luminous eyes, as if being like Daddy were the greatest achievement possible. I had just put on my tie for Mass, and Peter had too. We looked surprisingly similar, a fact that brought great happiness to…
Read MoreWhat is fasting? Refraining from food and drink as an expression of interior penance, in imitation of the fast of Jesus for 40 days in the desert. Fasting is an ascetical practice recommended in Scripture and the writings of the Church Fathers; it is sometimes prescribed by a precept of the Church, especially during the liturgical…
Read MoreIt’s not about the deer, or birds, or rabbits. It’s about our sons, and what they need from us, their fathers. My youngest child, a boy of 3 years, has been begging to go hunting with me this year. It gives me occasion to reflect on the challenge of raising sons, especially today. Having taught…
Read More“The Great Adventurers of the modern world.” With these words Charles Péguy, the great French Catholic poet of the early twentieth century, honored the fathers of families. Péguy was killed in the first of the modern world’s global wars, but if he were alive today, he would probably feel the need to underscore his statement.…
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Forget the dads you see on Television: selfish, workaholic, lazy, absent, bullying, pushover dads. They do not deserve the name. Real dadness is bigger than that. It’s as big as Our Father who art in Heaven. The call to be a Catholic dad is a call to suffer—as a husband, as a father, as a…
Read MoreThis post is part of a three part series. See parts one and two. Of all the duties of fatherhood, it is the munus regendi —the duty to shepherd, based on Christ’s role as King—that is most likely to offend modern sensibilities. The father has authority? The father is a king? Come on! That’s outdated chauvinistic patriarchy.…
Read MoreThis post is part of a three part series. See part one here. As we continue our look at the three munera, or duties, of fatherhood revealed to us in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we today turn our attention to the munus sanctificandi, or the father’s duty to sanctify his family. The Priesthood of Jesus Before we…
Read MoreIn the introduction to this series, I wrote about how each father is entrusted with three duties, or munera in Latin, and that these three duties are modeled by Christ himself. While traditionally associated with the ordained priesthood, these duties just as much apply to the fathers of families, who also share in a priestly role, albeit…
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