Dear Fathers,
On this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate too, Fathers’ Day and maybe that relationship between father and child has a place in today’s feast. To be a father, it seems to me, is to make of a person three persons – the man, the father and the spirit that exists between him and his child or children.
The man in you knows what it was to be child and dependent, to search, to lose and to find. The man in you knows uncertainty and the gratitude that comes from being loved and trusted. The man in you knows the fullness of life with its countless twists and turns. The man in you knows what it means to be hurt, confused and vulnerable – even when all around you thinks you are strong, independent and in control. That’s the man you are today – on Fathers’ Day. You are the man to whom your child looks for the kind word, for good example and direction in life.
The father in you wants to do your very best by your family – to be a true provider, not just in euro and cent, but in every aspect of your child or children’s journey. The father in you wants to give what maybe you did not always receive or, better again, to give what you did receive from your own father who tried his best for you always. The father in you wants to show love and respect for all your family. That’s the father we need today, tomorrow and every day.
The spirit in you is that which makes you get up when you might find it easier to lie down and to go to work when it might be more desirable to stay at home. The spirit in you is that breath that is taken away from you when your child finds the word “Daddy” or your daughter walks, wedding dressed, beside you towards the Altar where you carried her as a baby and stood behind her on First Holy Communion and Confirmation days. The Spirit in you is at its best when you rejoice in your child’s successes on the football field, in the classroom and in life’s many choices.
In the mane of Father, Son and Spirit – Happy Fathers’ Day!