I am always excited when Father’s Day falls on a feast day. This June 20th is no exception since Father’s Day will fall on the feast of the “Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ,” also known as Corpus Christi. I believe this is significant because the Eucharist strikes at the core mission and vocation of fatherhood, sacrificial love.
The Eucharist is the fountain of sacrificial love; Christ gives, pours out, and donates His entire being every time a priest, through certain words and actions, makes Him present on the altar at Mass. Christ continually sacrifices and empties Himself because He loves us and wants us to experience the fullness of life.
In the same way, every father is called to practice this form of “sacrificial love.” It is a love that “gives without counting the cost,” as Mother Teresa would say. It is a love that rejects impatience, goes beyond duty and stamps out reluctance. It is a love full of joy and anticipation. It is a love that is rooted in the very Cross of Christ. It is a love that is powerful, beautiful, awesome, and life giving. It is a love that shines brightly and dispels all darkness.
Even though sacrifice will always be a part of fatherhood, what really counts is that which motivates it. As St. Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter thirteen, “…if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” And as Our Lord said in the Gospel of St. John (13:34), “Love one another, as even I have loved you.” Love must be the motivating factor behind all sacrifice.
I know all this is easier said than done. Nevertheless, if we want to imitate Our Lord, especially in the Holy Eucharist, and practice “sacrificial love” we must not grow tired, day in and day out, of giving it our best shot. Each day we should recommit ourselves to this ideal and seek God’s help as we give ourselves to our families. With God’s grace, nothing is impossible.
May Our Eucharistic Lord give all fathers on this special day the grace, courage and strength to live out their vocation as bearers of sacrificial love.
God bless.