Daddies

Sister Patricia of http://www.franciscancards.com publishes a daily Catholic ezine called Joy Notes which include her reflections, the reflections of Catholic author Danielle Bean and the reflections of Sister Janet who works for Vatican Radio. Yesterday, Sister Janet had a beautiful post about daddies. She sounds like she was truly blessed with a wonderful father and we all are with God as our heavenly father. Here is her post:

Greetings from Rome with Sister Janet Fearns, FMDM

Sister Janet's new site! Pause for Prayer

On a personal note… What is a father? Never having had the experience myself, I can only look backwards to my own father, who was probably not perfect, but, as my mother said the other evening, “He was special, wasn’t he?” I can only agree. I suppose that some of my understanding of fatherhood could be summarised by saying that a father is the sort or person a small child makes impossible efforts and excuses to be around. My own lifelong habit of early rising originated in my enjoyment of the early mornings, when only Dad and I were around to chat, share breakfast and the first cup of tea of the day. Often we would attend the 07.00 Mass in the church opposite, leaving the rest of the family asleep, so my love and understanding of Liturgy and Eucharist grew out of his.

A father sings to his children even if he hasn’t been gifted with the best voice in the world. I still associate the Salve Regina with peeling potatoes and frying chips, perhaps to the horror of the Church’s official liturgists. O Mary, conceived without sin means that the light is about to be switched off and it’s time to go to sleep.

A father has silly little habits that his children continue, just because they were his. Even today, when I’m at home, I touch the wall above the stairs when I’m coming down them and do it for no other reason than Dad was tall enough to reach that spot and I wasn’t, so I longed for the day when I would also have a few extra inches in height.

A father is the one who comes up with Bright Ideas for long walks on sunny days, whose stories are worth hearing again and again, whose jokes are not always funny but still make his children laugh, who is honest, trustworthy and works hard to make ends meet. He is a much-loved friend, whose worth continues to grow in splendour even many years after he has died, whose sayings and off-the-cuff remarks provide a framework for the whole of life.

Some people have problems with calling God their Father. I don’t.

My understanding of God’s Fatherhood is coloured by the moments when I saw my own father at his most vulnerable, his most loving and his most lovable. Everything that Dad was, God is bigger and better. It seems to me that, in these days when family life can seem so fragile, good fathers are more and more necessary. Jesus showed us how important his own relationship was with his Father. He was only highlighting a fundamental relationship in our own lives.

Thank God for Dads!

God bless, Sr. JanetWeb outreach and development