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A WORD FROM THE PASTOR

Lifting the Sacrifices of The Fathers at the Altar

  Happy Father's Day to all who are fathers or grandfathers or godfathers! Five weeks ago, we observed Mother's Day and offered Mass for our moms. Today, on this Father's Day, we are doing the same – offering our dads, living or dead, on the altar of God during this Holy Mass and invoking our Heavenly Father’s blessings on them. As for me, I would like to put both father’s day and mother’s day on the same foot. They both bring us to the world and raise us responsibly. St Joseph with Jesus - Fathers Day

 
Celebrating father’s day on the feast day of Corpus Christi, Body and Blood of Christ, is meaningful and relevant. Christ gave us his body and blood as a spiritual food to nourish us and live as he commanded us to be his disciples.

  As I write this column I am haunted with the memory of my father who passed away 12 years back. He was a strict, disciplined and hard working man. I would like to share one memory. While I was in the seminary doing college studies I had come home for holidays. My dad had not come from the field to take me by bicycle to catch the bus. My wrist watch showed me that it was almost time to catch the bus. While angry at my father I still managed to reach the bus stop to take the bus. I was waiting over 40 minutes, and the bus was not coming.

  In the meantime, my father came to the place where we were waiting for the bus. He had not taken breakfast and lunch and came over to give me money for my expenses and see me off. I expressed my anger to him; he did not say anything. A neighbor told me that my wrist watch was wrong and the bus was coming right on time. I felt very bad about it. He gave me money for college midterm fees, petty expenses and bus charges.

  My dad, not having a watch for himself, came home at the right time to bring me to the bus stop. But I made a mistake even though I am the one having a wrist watch. This happened in the year 1978; still I run through the guilty feeling of having disrespected my father. When he met with an accident we could not save his life. In memory of him, my family built a shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in 2018, in the field where he worked normally. I apologized to him. This shrine stands as a symbol of his sacrifice and hard work to raise us responsibly.

 Fathers (parents) sacrifice for their children cannot be overlooked. I am happy to lift the sacrifices of the fathers at the altar

In the Service of the Lord,
  Fr Thainese Alphonse

 

     
       
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