ON FATHER’S DAY, we let all father figures, husbands and caregivers know that we honour them for their care, hard work and the sacrifices they make for those under their paternal care! Indeed, today is a day to renew our resolutions to appreciate our dads for who they are and what they have been, and not just today.
Being a parent is one of life’s toughest jobs. On this day, we recognise all the fathers who care about their children and inspire them to reach their fullest potential. Father’s Day is commemorated on the third Sunday of June every year, celebrating the enduring legacy of fathers and the power they have to shape the lives of their sons and daughters.
On Fathers’ Day, it is worth reflecting on what is there to celebrate about our fathers. Remembering my father, I realise more than ever, how fortunate I am. God gave my brothers and me a father who made it clear that our lives were not our own, that we are here on a mission from the author of our lives. Although we live miles apart, I get to see and talk to my parents invariably every day thanks to the advanced technologies in communication. His life was nothing extraordinary. He worked all his life as a farmer, for the dreams of his family. But what made him different was his unfaltering trust in God’s providence, his strong and stubborn voice and an uncompromising attitude to life—although I did not like most of those days. Like any other teenager, I thought of him as an old-fashioned, task-master!
But the genes don’t lie! I realise today that many of those characteristics that were part of my father I see in my own life: in my body, in my bones, in my hesitancies, in my over self-consciousness at times and in my temperament sometimes. But that’s who he is and that’s who I am, for better and for worse. I walk in gratitude for that DNA, with both its strengths and its inhibitions.
The role of the father in our society is constantly evolving. Increasing numbers of broken families, where children are brought up by single parents—the majority of them mothers, are a sad reality today. We are facing a generation of children who are growing up with no idea of what it means to have a father.
Observing Fathers’ Day becomes all the more relevant at a time when there is a concerted effort to normalise issues of sexual orientation, abortion and union of same-sex couples as basic rights of individuals. In the given scenario, “Fatherhood” seems to be under siege with a father’s role reduced to mere a biological function which can be exercised impersonally. The absence of fathers from the lives of their children has become so commonplace that few seem to think it unusual or troubling.
In these depressing and disturbing times, Fathers’ Day is indeed an appropriate time to celebrate both the role and the man. Happy Father’s Day to the dads who serve as strong role models who take the time to invest in their kids. Kudos to all the fathers who understand the importance of “paying it forward” and spending quality time with children. Their legacy lives on today and throughout the year in the hearts and minds of everyone who loves them. Jose
