Thinking About Mother's Day Got Me Worked Up

As I was writing the last post about Mother's Day, I was getting somewhat agitated. I think part of the problem with fathers not being real dads is that most men, and certainly society in general, don't give women the respect they deserve.

Women, especially mothers, are the source of love in this world. This has been made abundantly clear by the church's teaching on Mary and the prominence she has in the church. Most people, looking back on their childhoods, would say that mothers were always the loving, affectionate parents. It's not hard to see that mothers are the source of love.

Unfortunately, society is destroying motherhood and the love that flows from it. Throughout the media, women are depicted as objects, either for sexual conquest or simply for fleeting entertainment. Many mothers are forced to fill all parenting rolls in some families because the fathers have left or are too macho to be true dads.

As Catholic husbands, we must be guiding examples in these areas. Our children are learning from us, and their understanding of what a husband is will be determined in large part from the example we set. We must love and respect our wives; we must be involved with our children; we must be involved in our parishes; we must be dedicated to our work. These things, along with prayer, will help guide our children to be the people God calls them to be.

Now that I've gotten the rant out, here's the real message: Catholic husbands and dads are called by God to be living examples of the love God the Father has for all of us.