By Eric Girten
The Catholic Kitchen
During this celebration year of St. Joseph, I cannot let the month of June pass by without a word to fathers. Life has a way of modifying, shifting or simply erasing the plans we make for our lives, and St. Joseph’s life was no different. What we as fathers can learn from him is that he listened to God’s whisper and placed God’s plan above his own. It was in St. Joseph’s faithful following of God’s plan that literally allowed Jesus Christ to grow into Himself and become the Savior of a world in need of saving.
Our stories today as Catholic fathers are interwoven with this story of St. Joseph. We face choices and crisis frequently and if we do not consistently listen for the whisper of God in our ears, we will soon begin to lose our way. When this occurs, even the most menial distractions in our families, our work, and the Church can become great obstacles to our own salvation journeys.
The hidden trap in this is that when we falter spiritually, our children absorb this in their own lives, and it places them at spiritual risk. Data shows that it is the father of the family whose weekly Mass attendance is a key indicator of whether his children will also attend Mass as adults. What are the implications of this, and how does this inform us on the effect of a father’s other spiritual actions on the family? I will leave you to pray about that.
The good news is that the reverse is also true. If we, as fathers, model St. Joseph and the Holy Family, and live our lives sacrificially for our own families, then our children will grow to be competent and holy stewards of the Church when we are gone. So why does it all matter?
It matters because we must look forward to, and prepare for, the apex of our lives here on earth. Many would say that I am speaking of a happy, healthy and comfortable retirement; and so they would necessarily place all of their efforts into making that happen. And yet, we as Catholics know that the apex in our existence will be an eternity spent with God; and so we must first work toward that end. And it is not only our own eternity that we must be aware of, but also the salvation of our children and family (primarily). It is then that we can plan for the other things in life like a healthy portfolio, the trip overseas or the new set of golf clubs.
In all of this, we remember, too, that our calling doesn’t stop there. We are called as disciples of Christ to continue to spread the Good News to all who might listen. It can all be a daunting task to be sure, but it can be done and done very well. We can start by attending Mass each week; and if that is something that has been hit and miss in the past, then it just means that the impact of you making it a weekly scheduled event will be all the more significant. If your prayer life is a little rusty, then pray to St. Joseph to help you listen to the whispers of God in your life. Remember that being successful professionally does not mean that you cannot be successful spiritually, and vice versa.
The Church needs strong Catholic men to lead their families right now. And if you decide to take up this joyful cross, be courageous, strong and resilient in the face of the obstacles that will be placed before you. St. Joseph, pray for us.