Fathers' Day - 2011

The English word “father” comes from the Latin word pater. Paternal authority is

absolute and is used as a term of comparison to describe the authority of God the Creator.

Paternity provides for life. It protects, governs, and guides the earthly family in a manner

similar to the loving protection of God the Father in heaven. Fathers also reward virtue

and punish vice.

I’m grateful that I grew up in the age of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, and It’s a

Wonderful Life. I received my earthly training from my Dad. My loving Mom would die

a thousand deaths before she’d let me skin my knee, and would give me anything I

wanted by merely a sigh. My dad gave me only what was good for me, both physically

and spiritually. I thank God his leather belt on my gluteus maximus silenced all

whimpering and complaints. He taught me the path of honor and virtue in the crucible of

discipline. He was a good man, honest, humble, respectful. He left for work before we

even woke up and came home at night to drive us to swim meets, tennis tournaments, and

other sporting events, even though he was exhausted after a hard day’s work. Yet more

importantly, he took us to Mass and taught us the Christian faith. He taught me to strive

to conquer the world for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to dream the impossible

dream.

The father is the head of the family, and the mother is the heart of the family. Without

either one, the family will be terminally ill or dead. The love of husband and wife, and

their union with God, is linked to the love that resides between the Father and the Son,

which begets the Holy Spirit. Many tell me that this world that I lived in is “Gone With

the Wind.” My reply is, “That which is holy will live forever, and that which is evil will

die with the age.

Bl. Pope John Paul II has warned society that we are living in apocalyptic times, with

serious consequences. But to be of great joy for after the Time of Great Tribulation, the

world will be renewed by the Christian family.

Like most children, I never really appreciated my dad until I was much older. Yet I can’t

thank him enough for teaching me the path of virtue that only loving restraint could

convey. I pray that all broken families in our sad world today will find the healing

presence of God in their family life so they may experience the joy that the Holy Trinity

wishes to bestow on all families.

God bless you Dad!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,

Richard Mahoney