2nd Day of Simbang Gabi 2013

Once a man was polishing his new car, his 4 year old son picked one stone and scratched lines on one side of car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit him many times, not realizing he was using a rock. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father with painful eyes he asked “Dad, when will my fingers grow back?” The man was so hurt and speechless that he went back to his car and kicked it many times. Sitting in front of the car, he looked at the scratch that was made by his son. After a  closer look  he saw what was actually written there, “LOVE YOU DAD”. A tear trickled down his cheeks. He felt very bad about his action . He has already damaged his son’s fingers forever . My dear friends, a father has a big role in the family and particularly in the life of his children. A father is not just a sperm donor that after impregnating his woman, he has no more obligation to fulfill. It is deemed unreasonable to carry the surname of a father who has not contributed anything good to his children. A father is an important figure being the head of the family. In Matthew 1: 1-17, the genealogy of Jesus is traced back with reference to the fathers of the said family of families. Their names are mentioned with the implication that the birth of the child is not only the work of the woman but of a man too. (Ordinarily, a woman alone cannot conceived a child without carnal knowledge with a man.) When the woman then gives birth to a child she becomes a mother, and her man becomes a father. As a father, he is called to be the head of his family. Together with his wife, their parental roles begin there and then until their death. This means that a father of a family should not leave the responsibility to raise his children to his wife. Now, how many Catholic fathers do we have in the parish who diligently take care of their families? How many of them set good examples to their children? Being a father of a family is not just a figurehead or an honorific title. A father should serve as an inspiration of his children to live good Christian lives.