I'm early on my thankfulness (which is always a good thing), and a lot has happened since my last post, so here goes:
I am very thankful for my Dad - January 8 is his birthday. He was 53 when I was born, and he's just as sharp as ever. I wouldn't say he's perfect, as no human being can ever be truly perfect, but he has always done what he believed was right. I appreciate his wisdom, his blessings, and his sense of humor. But thinking about my dad brings to mind another dad - Our Father in Heaven. It can seem pretty intimidating to live up to the standards of perfection that is Our God. I recently revisited the movie Courageous. If you have not seen it, I highly, highly, highly recommend it. It is the story of a group of friends, mostly cops, and their growing realization of the importance of their role as fathers. They are not perfect; they all have hurts, failures, and problems to overcome. But with God's guidance and keeping each other accountable, they discover their true purpose - to serve God and lead their families.
It's so very easy to hold others to high standards and forget to forgive them when they make a mistake. This goes for all relationships. Our parents don't have the manual on perfect parenting, and I would venture to guess that most of us didn't look for a manual on how to be a perfect child. First off, BORRRRRRRING. Second, unrealistic. As humans, we are going to do dumb things and occasionally fail. We will have good intentions and times of bad follow-through. But because forgiveness, we can always try again. And with the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we always have the chance to start fresh. The Old Testament understanding of 'an eye for an eye' has been replaced with forgiveness and love (see Matthew 5). I pray that all of the men in my life look to St. Joseph to learn from the best.
Prayer - Lord, thank you for the fathers in my life, from my physical father on earth to my godfather, brothers, uncles, mentors, and all of those who lived as Christian fathers. May I continually strive to live a life of love and forgiveness, much like St. Joseph.
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