Fathers Day Reflection

I’m writing on Father’s Day before 11:00 Sunday Mass at which I will preach about my dad’s courage vis a vis public speaking. He taught me how to speak publicly and I followed him in it because I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Little did either of us know I would be doing it full-time! Most of what I learned from my father was by example. He didn’t specifically give too many pearls of wisdom to me. There are two that come to mind: “slow back swing” (in golf lol) and “it’s the little things in life that matter to people”.

I preached on the second one last week (Mt 5:19 / keep the smallest commandments) at daily Mass and have been thinking about him these past days when I’ve tried to do little things for others. He did many big things for people because he had a big heart and big personality. So, his point about doing little things was quite sharp. He did many little things for our neighbors growing up which I recalled after he died 36 years ago.

Father’s Day has us all reflecting on our fathers. Hopefully they are good reflections and memories. If not, the last sentence of paragraph 2843 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church can help particularly with compassion. Our fathers so often and regularly show us the love of God the Father. Let us rejoice in their examples! We have followed them especially in virtue. For the times they failed to show us the Father, let us have compassion and forgive them.