This coming Sunday we celebrate the wonderful gift of our dads. I take this opportunity to wish all fathers a very special day. In our sacred Scriptures, we hear many stories of fathers. Joseph, the father figure for Jesus, was a model of great patience. He gently guided Jesus and would have taught him many lessons about life.

The story of the Prodigal Son also speaks of a father’s deep and lasting love for his son. A man had two sons. One demanded his inheritance despite his father still being alive and left the family, wasting his money on things that would not bring lasting happiness. The father grieved for his son. Not a day would have passed when the father didn’t think about, or pray for his son’s safe return. So deep was the father’s love for his son. We know the ending of this story all too well – after the son wastes all of his father’s money, he returns and is embraced by his father and welcomed home with a banquet of fine food.

This sort of unconditional love is the love that God, the father of us all, has for each of us. God is always ready to welcome us back, no matter the circumstances of our distance.

This Sunday, I pray that all fathers have a special day. We also cast our minds towards our fathers who are rejoicing with the angels in heaven, and to those who are separated by distance. May your day be peace-filled. Happy Father’s Day.

I ask for your continued prayers for the children who will receive Confirmation and First Eucharist on Thursday evening and for our Year 3 Reconciliation candidates who will celebrate this Sacrament next week. Despite the restrictions that COVID-19 has placed on our gatherings in churches, we are fortunate to be able to celebrate together, albeit with limited numbers.

I pray your week is blessed.