Journeying: 12th Sunday Ordinary C

When the good Lord was creating fathers he started with a tall frame. And a female angel nearby said, “What kind of father is that? If you’re going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won’t be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping.” And God smiled and said, “Yes, but if I make him child-size, who would the child have to look up to?”

And when God made a father’s hands, they were large and sinewy. And the angel shook her head sadly and said, “Do you know what you’re doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can’t manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats.” And God smiled and said, “I know, but they’re large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day…yet small enough to cup a child’s face in his hands.”

And then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders. And the angel nearly had a heart attack. “Boy, this is the end of the week, all right,” she clucked. “Do you realize you just made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?” And God smiled and said, “A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a toy truck with the child, balance a boy on a bicycle, and hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus, the movies, or from the park.”

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. “That’s not fair. Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the children?” And God smiled and said, “They’ll work. You’ll see. They’ll support a small child who wants to ride a horse, or scare off mice at their house, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill.”

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that saw everything, but remained calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought, he added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, “Now, are you satisfied that he can love as much as a Mother?” The angel kept quiet. – (Erma Bombeck)

For our Father in heaven, the presence of a father is very important to His children most especially in moments when they need love and comfort. And our Father in heaven who is ever present to us reminds us of that today.

The second reading of today says it all: Through faith, you are all children of the one God, the one Father. And it is all because through baptism, we all now have been clothed in Christ. The Father now sees us all as his sons and daughters because of Jesus, his son.

In the gospel, we find Jesus asking: Who do you say I am? Only Peter got it right: You are the Christ of God…. Or “you are Jesus, son of the Father.”

In the first Star Wars trilogy, one of the climax was when Darth Vader tries to convince Luke Skywalker to change to the dark side with him by revealing a secret: “I am your father.” Luke could not accept that until at the very end Darth Vader, his father switched sides to save the life of his son Luke from the most powerful Darth Sidious and got himself killed in the process. Such is the love of a Father be he from the light side or the dark side.

We all have a Father in heaven who in order to save us will do everything in his power…. And so the Father sent his only begotten Son into this world to be like us and bring us back to Him. Such is the love of the Father.

So today be proud knowing the answer to the question: Who do people say I am? Always remember, you are the child of your Father.

Let us be thankful for our fathers. May we never take them for granted. If you are fortunate enough to still have your father, take the time to thank him…today and every day. And if your father, like mine, is a memory that you treasure, then thank God who is Father of us all for

having given each of us a person whom we were honored one time or another to call father.

Yesterday, I saw this McDonald’s commercial of children singing to their Daddy. For me this expresses our thanks to God our Heavenly Father and to all the Fathers in our lives: