Happy Father's Day

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I pray that you are all blessed. I especially want to pray for our fathers this morning, whether they be biological fathers or adoptive or foster or simply were father to someone who needed a father figure. May God continue to bless and strengthen you for this important role you have been asked to assume. May the love you have shown your children be returned back to you a hundred fold.

Fathers sometimes get slighted in our society. Even Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, is often an after thought. Just as he fades from Scriptures early in Jesus’s life, he often fades from our thoughts as we place most of our attention on Mary. But Joseph’s “Yes, Lord!” Was almost as important as Mary’s. Like Mary, he had to give up his dreams of having a son he could pass the carpentry business on to. He played a very important role in Jesus youth and formative years. He protected his family when they had to flee to Egypt. He worried about Jesus as they searched for Him for three days in Jerusalem. When he dies, he is all but forgotten in Scripture.

And like Joseph we sometimes focus more attention on mothers than we do fathers. But like Joseph, our fathers make a lot of sacrifices to care for us and protect us. They often have to sacrifice their own dreams in order to provide for their children, in order to send them to good schools, to give them the things they need for their own dreams. So one day a year is not too much to ask for us to turn our attention away from our own concerns and focus on our fathers and truly thank them for all they have done for us. And so, to all the fathers let us say,

“Happy Father’s Day”

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick

P.S. I will be out of town later this week and over the weekend. I am headed for St. Louis to attend a friends wedding and to see my mom.