9th Day of Simbang Gabi December 24, 2014

A father was always scolding his son because of the latter’s vices. The son rebelled against him that he never went home anymore. One day, the said son met an accident and the doctor said he could not be able to walk. He blamed his father because of what happened to him. After some months of sitting on his wheel chair, the son was confused when he was carried by his father outside their home. His father carried him on his back and told him to start walking. Since then his father never failed in carrying him outside the house and assisted him to walk again. Miraculously, the son could walk again. He learned how much his father loved him and so he loved his father. My dear friends, a father in the family plays an important role just as much as a mother does for their children. A father is not just a figurehead but a person who sets the tone and atmosphere of the home. He exercises some influence in the decision-making of his children. He teaches them what respect and authority means. He is not just a breadwinner who supplies his family with their basic needs but also the first one to sacrifice even his needs for the sake of his family. The name of a good father is worth remembering and children should not blemish his family name. Zechariah was this kind of a father. In Luke 1: 67-79, Zechariah who was filled with the Holy Spirit announced God’s vision for his son John the Baptizer. As a father, he wished all good things about his son. But above all these, he never doubted that his son would serve and be pleasing to God. My dear friends, the fathers of our time should know this –that they are not only sperm donors whose role is to make babies. They have to understand that as procreators, they should see to it that their children know God more so as to serve Him better. Being a father is not just a social, cultural or economic reality but most importantly is a spiritual reality.