Today we hear from Luke, who reflects on the sacred vocation of fatherhood and the profound role that fathers play in our lives. He shares from his own journey, the joys and consolations, the moments of weakness and failure and the grace of love, forgiveness and gratitude that mark the path of a father’s heart. When Our Lord taught His disciples to pray, He began with those two simple yet infinitely profound words: “Our Father,” reminding us that fatherhood itself springs from God, the source of all life and love. With this in mind, let us lift up in prayer every father, past and present, entrusting them with love and deep gratitude to our Heavenly Father, who alone perfects and sanctifies their noble calling.
Transcript
Hi, my name is Luke Thomsen and I am the Assistant Principal for Religious Education here at St Stephen’s School in Algester. I absolutely love my vocation as a Catholic school teacher, but primarily and predominantly, I am privileged to have the vocation of husband to my wife Sarah and father to our four beautiful children. I’ve been reflecting lately on my vocation as a father and the dispositions I seem to constantly cycle through as a dad. These dispositions are love, joy, failure, forgiveness and gratitude. Now, I don’t think this is like a linear cycle, as though love and joy cease when failure arises, but cyclical in the sense that the circumstances of my fatherhood lead me to bring one of these dispositions to the forefront of my consciousness whilst the others seem to remain quietly present in the background. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s say when I’ve been angry with my children for example, maybe for making a mess of their rooms or leaving their towels on the bathroom floor. In that moment, I feel a sense of failure for getting angry. But my heart softens with the repentant words, “sorry daddy”. In that one moment, love wells up and breaks the banks of my hardened heart, forgiveness come flowing like a river and joy overflows compelling me to reach out and embrace my son or daughter in gratitude for the gift that they are to me. You know when Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, He begins with two simple yet profound words, “Our Father.” He doesn’t say ‘my Father’, He says ‘Our Father’ and in that moment, Jesus invites us into the same intimate relationship He shares with God the Father; a relationship not of distance, but of closeness, a relationship of family. And the word that Jesus uses ‘Abba’ is even more intimate. It’s not formal or distant. It’s the kind of word that my daughter might use when climbing into my lap for a cuddle. Abba speaks of trust, warmth, and belonging. So as we reflect on the vocation of fatherhood and the role that dads play in our lives, let us turn to God our Abba, lifting up every father with love and appreciation.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Loving God, Our Father, our Abba, We thank You for the gift of fatherhood, for the sacred calling to love, guide, and grow alongside our children. You invite us into a relationship that is not distant, but deeply personal, like a child calling out to their dad. You are not just the Father, but You are our Father, and in that word ‘our’, You draw us into Your family, a communion of love and belonging. Help us, Lord, to be fathers who reflect Your heart; not perfectly like yours, but present. Not always knowing what to do, but always willing to show up. We thank You for the everyday moments for laughter around the dinner table, for bedtime stories and good nights, for the moments of growth when we fail to reflect Your fatherly love and for the chance to be a steady presence in the lives of our children. And in this continuous cycle of love, joy, failure, forgiveness, and gratitude, may our children, through our love, come to know You more deeply as their Abba, as their loving Father. In the name of Your beloved son Jesus, we pray. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint Joseph, diligent protector of Christ, pray for us.