The hand of the Father

At Mass this morning I was deeply touched by the way the Church celebrates Father’s Day. In fact in the Church’s liturgy every day is Father’s Day. Praying through the Canon of the Mass all the prayers are addressed to our heavenly Father. “We come to you, Father with praise and thanksgiving…” and “Father, accept this offering from your whole family,” and “Father you are holy indeed…” and “Father we acknowledge your greatness…” and of course, “Our Father who art in Heaven…”

And at the end of the Canon, before we pray the Lord’s Prayer we offer to God, the Father, the perfect sacrifice – that of the precious Body and Blood of His Son – when we pray in the Doxology: “Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever…”

At Mass we were immersed in the reality of the Father and in the pews were many human fathers and grandfathers, there to receive the graces they needed to exercise the role they had been given by God as fathers. Before the close of Mass Father Gerry, the celebrant, acknowledged their presence and prayed a prayer of the Church over them.

And today I prayed for my own father who is now in eternity. It was fun to look at some of the pictures of him taken from my childhood (see above). He and mom were there to give their wobbly daughter a steadying hand. That’s what our heavenly Father does for us – he is there to give us a steadying hand! Happy Father's Day!