As we celebrate Father’s Day—and in remembering Mother’s Day, since “the two become one”—our faith calls us to recognize the importance of parenthood on this weekend. It becomes clear in the Rite of Baptism’s closing prayer as the priest proclaims the Church’s hope for the parents in these prayerful words: that “He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May they be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Extending that ideal of parenthood to our culture, our parents are both the first and best of teachers to us in word and deed, and in all things, we as believers understand both the love and the responsibility of being a parent—and that as children, no matter our age, we should honor and respect them for the job they do each day without any training and often in trying times, that the role of parents, man and woman, illustrates the fullness of God. In proof of that, we hear in the Book of Genesis (1:26-27), “Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness…God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Moms and dads express the unconditional love of God in our material world in that our parents’ love is also unconditional. They love us no matter what—whether we bring them great joy today or we disappoint them tomorrow; whether we follow their lead in the world or move to the beat of a different drummer—and even when our actions or words disappoint them or perhaps even sadden them, their love is not withdrawn. Unconditional love, either God’s or mom and dad’s, certainly comes not with limitations but rather with accountability
attached—yet always remaining ever present in our lives. This is why we as Christians show love for others not just as affection, but rather we come to know it as the love that searches for the excellence of the other (C.S. Lewis).

So this Father’s Day—and Mother’s Day—look deeply into the love shared with you and know that in seeing the imperfect disciple as our parents, (like us too), we do experience a taste of God’s Love for us. Unconditional, yet with the demands of accountability—for it is not a love lorded over us but one that seeks the excellence of us and calls us to be something more.

Happy Father’s Day and blessings to all the dads of our parish…and a reminder that as the
two-become-one, so we give thanks to mom too.