What it Means to Be a Father

This weekend was Father’s Day weekend. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend—one I didn’t plan myself. My father took care of everything. He picked out a beautiful house on a lake and even drove the entire way there and back. We spent time outdoors, hiked through nature, sat around a fire, and simply enjoyed being together.

We wrapped up the weekend by attending Mass near the lake. And just like that, my son—who had been wonderful all weekend—decided to drape himself across the pew as if he had contracted some sort of boredom disease. I took a deep breath and tried not to be annoyed.

The priest began his homily by talking about what it means to be a great father. He said that fathers are the ones who give life.

Of course, my brain immediately went to the biological meaning. We are the ones who help bring children into the world. But that was only half of what he meant.

The priest explained that, as a spiritual father, he also gives life by planting seeds of faith, hope, and love in the hearts of others.

“Oh,” I thought. “It’s about love, not sex. Duh.”

When I think about fatherly love, I think about my dad. He works hard. He is incredibly intelligent—a self-taught computer programmer—but his greatest strength is that he is a caretaker. He loves taking care of his family without spending much time worrying about himself.

He’s like one of those rare keystone species in nature—remove it, and the entire ecosystem begins to collapse.

Suddenly, the dots started to connect.

The spiritual meaning of fatherhood is that we are called to mirror God the Father. We are meant to care for our spiritual family—not just those related to us by blood, but those united to us through the Blood of Christ.

Christ is the true Keystone. Without Him, none of us would exist as part of this family.

Meanwhile, my son continued to wiggle around the pew, completely unimpressed by my newfound spiritual insights.

One day he’ll understand.

But today is not that day.

Happy Father’s Day to both of my dads:

God the Father,

and Bob the Father!