Why would one week on a fishing trip with his father forever change a sons life? It seems to defy rational explanation. How do we account for the tremendous influence dads have in the lives of their children? Everyone, even those whose fathers had serious shortcomings, yearns for a perfect father. What makes fatherhood so important?
Fathers leave an indelible impression on their children because their role is linked to another fatherhood. Although this other fatherhood is unseen, every human heart has a deep, insatiable desire to be joined with it. God the Father has made each of us to have a family bond with himself. As a result, the human heart is constantly restless until it is united to the fatherhood of God.
Fatherhood is inescapably religious. Pope John Paul II pinpointed the heart of our role as fathers when he said that our calling is to reveal and to relive on earth the very fatherhood of God. The Bible says that earthly fatherhood even derives its name from the fatherhood of God (Ephesians 3:14-15). Because they reflect the divine Father, earthly fathers will always influence their children to a degree far beyond reasonable expectations. As fathers we can either greatly speed or impede our childrens relationships with the heavenly Father.
Taken from Chapter 1, Christian Fatherhood: The Eight Commitment of St. Josephs Covenant Keepers, by Stephen Wood with James Burnham.
ARCHDIOCESE OF NEWARK
