June 16
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.”
Readings
Reflection
Lord, it is good to give thanks to you! (Psalm 92)
While there isn’t an explicit intention by the Church to have readings align with our secular celebrations, nonetheless meditating on our readings today nicely accentuates the vocation of fatherhood. Today we pray that the Lord will bless all the fathers and godfathers in our lives, and may He grant eternal rest to our fathers who have gone before us.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish…(cont’d Ps. 92 today) The importance of living the faith at home and making the family a safe and sacred place where authentic love and prayer is embodied is incredibly formative for our children. Even as the catechism relates (CCC 239) parents are the first representatives for God to their children who are called to reflect His love to them. This is a tall order when you think about it, because not one of us is perfect—so the vocation of the parent necessarily requires humility and trust, and genuine reliance on the Sacraments. It's good we recognize the Lord is ultimately the one who best loves and best shepherds our families, and that children are always gift.
Fathers tending to their family day-in and day-out is much like Jesus’ image in the gospel today regarding the mustard seed. The impact of a father's presence when planted and nourished slowly grows and grows within their children, to the point where as Jesus says, like the life of the mustard seed or fully grown tree becomes integrated with all that is living around it. That is to say, for instance, the father's example of mercy and selflessness (or lack there of) lives in the child. How this witness is passed on and nourished (or stunted) has significant implications for the future. So while we may not always appreciate the day-to-day interactions between parents and children, the lived witness of mutual love and faith that they offer lays a foundation. It’s not easy in the slightest bit, but it is of pivotal importance.
Consider the reflection of Pope St. John Paul II on the impact of his own father:
“Day after day I was able to observe the austere way in which [my father] lived. By profession he was a soldier and, after my mother's death, his life became one of constant prayer. Sometimes I would wake up during the night and find my father on his knees, just as I would always see him kneeling in the parish church. We never spoke about a vocation to the priesthood, but his example was in a way my first seminary, a kind of domestic seminary.”
I’m forever grateful that this has been true in my own life too. My own dad never set out to make me a priest, but his tireless example of self-less love not only for me but for my mom and brother and all those entrusted to his care (even presently) has been a living icon worth imitating. A man certainly not perfect, but one who sincerely knows his foundation is the Lord and receives all of life with gratitude. In many ways, as the psalmist writes, my dad has allowed our family to be planted in the house of the Lord so that we might come to flourish in him.
May the domestic churches of our individual homes be sacred places where the Lord is honored and loved above all else, and may the parents within our parish family be strengthened to embody the love of God for their children, that they may come to flourish in the house of God.
Peace,
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