Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers day to all fathers. In the last weeks, the theme of fatherhood has rested heavy on my heart, much because of a Boys camp I and Fr. Craig Timmerman co-directed last week on the theme of authentic manhood. A couple articles from the National Catholic Register have highlighted this, too. The first is an article entitled How to Be a Father by Tom McFeely interviewing James Stenson, we hear that fathers are to protect and provide for their families. In a second and even more fascinating article, The 10 Paradoxes of Fatherhood, Donald DeMarco address true fatherhood with ten realities. Though he speaks primarily of Biological fathers, it could be extended to priesthood, too. He names ten paradoxes:

1. A leader without being a frontrunner.
2. A visionary without being arrogant.
3. A servant without being servile.
4. An authority without being authoritarian.
5. A lover without being sentimental.
6. A supporter without being subordinate.
7. A disciplinarian without being punitive.
8. Merciful without being spineless.
9. Humble without being self-deprecating.
10. Courageous without being foolhardy.

Both articles are worth reading.