Honor Thy Father

Happy Father’s Day! My prayers are with those of you who may be celebrating this Father’s Day without the earthly presence of your Dad.  I remember the first Father’s Day that we celebrated without Charlie, my dear father-in-law.  It was a bittersweet day but we did celebrate because he filled our life with joy, and discipline and taught us how to be men and women of honor!  We continue to celebrate his life.  May you find comfort in the sure knowledge that your father is celebrating this day with our heavenly Father!

This day marks another first for my family as Dad faces his first Father’s Day without his beloved Rose.  I have been thinking about this quite a bit since Mother’s Day.  Often you hear husbands or wives say about their spouse, “he/she is not my mother/father” when it comes to honoring their spouse on this day set aside for parents.  My parents did not fall for this notion and neither do I.  Today I not only honor my Dad but my husband, the father of my five children.  I have been wrestling with how my Dad is struggling to now be a single parent and this brings me a little closer to grasping the hard task that so many parents face in the current era.  My heart goes out to all of you Dads and Moms who have to fill both roles.  May God give you the strength that you need as you raise up his children.

Since I have been thinking of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day so much, I got to thinking of how symbolic that Sunday was the day of the week chosen for these honors.  That thought led me to think of the Trinity and parenthood which I had never thought of before.  I came upon this revelation:  Mother and God the Holy Spirit, the one sent to give courage and strength, the advocate!  Father and God the Father; the creator, the bearer of rules and consequences.  Celebrated on Sunday – God the Son – the day set aside to celebrate new life in Christ’s resurrection – the Son – who brings us forgiveness and healing and eternal life.  A good parent needs to embody the traits of each person of the trinity.

We must each strive for these traits and honor each other.  As we honor our fathers this day, let us remember to also honor our God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  More importantly, let us remember that this honor should be given every day of the year!

I cannot close without wishing the father of our parish, Father Balash, a happy birthday!  Thank you for being a good shepherd to us all.

Shalom,

Tina