What Is Irreplaceable In Your Life?
“We’ve had enough of exhortations to be silent! Cry out with a hundred thousand voices. I see the world is rotten because of silence.” This 13th-century quote from St Catherine of Siena challenges us to become better evangelists, but it must be done with love. Being silent about the Truth of God can create a society with misguided information. St. Catherine also said, "The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church.”
I recently watched a documentary created by Focus on the Family titled “Irreplaceable.” The narrator was a father of five children from New Zealand. His mission was to document the conflict in society with changes in marriage and family. He was asking tough questions to help identify the enemies of the family. He interviewed experts in the field, but realized the greatest answers were in the stories of everyday people affected by life experiences.
When G.K. Chesterton was asked, “What is wrong with the world?” his reply was, “I am.” This should give us all reason to pause. We have created a culture of slaves to all kinds of addictions in our attempts to find a utopian world. In a “me” society with no restrictions or concern for consequences, we become dominated by money, material things and sexuality. Freedom to do whatever we please does not mean free for all. When sex is devalued, marriage, parenthood and children are also undervalued. These are the threats to the family. No one is perfect. We are all broken, but no one is beyond hope if we respect one another with genuine purpose. Love transforms us!
We have a great example in Jesus! What can we learn from the sufferings of Christ? “Forgive them Father for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The name father implores a relationship with respect. We speak of God the Father, a dad as father, and a priest as the person of Christ who is called father. In the world that God created, all three give us life. The present culture generated by man dictates a different version of the role of a “father,” and some individuals are left damaged because of it.
In Sacred Scripture we read that a father provides guidance and unconditional love, as in the examples of the love of God the Father for His only Son; of St. Joseph, the Foster Father of Jesus; and the father in the story of the Prodigal Son. This parable reminds us that there is no place we can go that we cannot come back from. There is hope for all!
The final analysis in the documentary was not surprising. The common characteristic in all the stories was the presence of a loving father. The family is shrinking, and the human right for children to have a loving mother and father can lead to suffering when denied. Procreation and the gift of life are miracles from God. Since the beginning of civilization the family has been the strength of society. A nation is blessed when it puts family first! We can’t fix all the problems of society, but we can redeem our world by being the family God designed us to be! Believe in the family!
We celebrate Father’s Day on June 19. On this special day, remind all those who are blessed to be called “Dad” of the significant roles they play in the life of the children God has entrusted to them. They are irreplaceable! Amen!
