Homily: 12 Sunday in Ordinary Time, YR C
“Pick up Your Cross/Father’s Day”
June 19, 2004
by Fr. William Holtzinger

Not too long ago there appeared a story in a Spanish newspaper about a father and his son.  It went like this.

A teen-aged boy and his very wealthy father had a falling out and the young man ran away from home.  The father was crushed.  After a few days, he realized that the boy was serious, so the father set out to find him.  He searched high and low for 5 months to no avail.  Finally, in a last, desperate attempt to find his son, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read, "Dear  Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper's main office at noon  on Saturday.  All is forgiven. I love you.  Signed, Your Father".  On Saturday, in front of the newspaper office, over 800 Pacos showed up, looking for love and forgiveness from their fathers!!  What a magnet that ad was.  Over 800 Pacos!!

This story illustrates part of the message of today’s Gospel and is particularly poignant as today is Father’s Day. Being a good father means that you must carry one’s cross. It also illustrates how poorly some men have loved their children.

It is important to know that being a father in the earthly realm is generally understood in terms of the biology of being a man and having children. Yet, in the divine realm, God the Father is not tied to biology. God the Father has no body, therefore is not male in the earthly realm. Nor is the Father female, yet feminine images also exist in the Scriptures (Isaiah 49:15, 42:14, Num. 11:12, Deut. 32:18). It is probably best to understand God as “father” in relationship with his Son. It is love, therefore, which begets their titles. We probably could think of men who have sired children left their family. These men are biological fathers only. God the Father’s identity is a profound reality that cannot be plumbed. Yet, does not mean that we cannot come to know something about the Father. We have been told by Jesus himself that by looking at the Son, we see the Father (John 14:9). How? The Son does the will of the Father and not his own (John 14:23, 6:40, 45, Luke 10:22). And when we imitate his Son, we are then God’s children. (Matt. 5:45, 12:50)

The question asked by Jesus to his disciples is key to also being a good father. All dads must answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” The true answer to this question is a litmus test of a good father. That’s right, being a good father is knowing Jesus and living as he would want you to live. That means taking up our cross, losing (forgetting) oneselves (our ego) and submitting oneselves to the will of Christ. You see, Jesus IS the way to the Father. And by loving and serving, we do the will of the Father.

So, fathers out there, what is your cross? You’re most important cross is loving your wife. That is not a slam on women. Not at all. By loving your wife, she will likely love you back even more. But, why call this a cross? Is love a cross? Absolutely! It is the best definition of love. Love is perfected in doing God’s will (1 John 2:5) which was demonstrated by Jesus’ submission to the Father. And that will involves suffering. How?

Remember, dads, that you are to live like Christ (Eph. 5:21-33). You are to forget yourselves in order to find yourselves (Luke 9:23-24). Put your wife first (after God of course) and love her unconditionally. Let your children see it, and then they will learn what real love is about.

Studies have shown that children see their parents, their fathers in particular, as an image of God the Father. So by loving and serving, your children will come to more deeply come to know God as a loving person. But what happens if one’s father is jerk, a tyrant, or megalomaniac? Their sense of God is likely to be very messed up. so you see, fathers, your job is kind of big. Will your children come to know a compassionate and forgiving Father? Or will they come to see God the Father as sarcastic, insulting, or brutal?

It is important to note that our Dads did what they could given their situation. They could never fully demonstrate the magnitude of God the Father’s love! They have all fallen short. But, don’t let them discourage you. Know that our Father in heaven does not fail like our earthly fathers.

We need to pray for those in our community who have been alienated or hurt by their fathers.  We need to pray for those who've never known their fathers.  We need to pray for those whose fathers have died. Let us pray that they are in the presence of the Lord.  And, for everyone here today, let us celebrate you-the gift your fathers helped bring into the world.