Sunday Meditation: Let Us Rest in the Heart of Christ

Happy Fathers Day to all fathers including our spiritual fathers. Let us turn off social media and all our screens today to celebrate our dads. And may we rest in the heart of Jesus praying for all our biological fathers and our spiritual fathers. But above all to "Abba," our Father in heaven, Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth for us. His love is beyond words! Why not write a letter today to a father who's gifted you with a blessing your own father first. I might write a letter to my dad that I wish I had written when he was alive. And I can think of several priests who deserve a message of gratitude from me.

Sunday Meditation: Happy Father's Day and a Don't Forget to Say Thank You to St. Joseph!

My daily spiritual reading for several months has included a few pages from the wonderful book, The Life and Glories of St. Joseph. I never realized how much the Church knows about this silent saint of the Scriptures. The Fathers of the Church and the Mystics all cast light on St. Joseph giving us a stunning portrait of his life and virtues. As patron of the universal Church and the "pillar of families," St. Joseph offers us his powerful intercession. All we have to do is ask for it.

Here's a brief thought about this great and powerful saint from the book which I heartily recommend if you want to know more about him.:

Ben Stein's Tribute to His Father

I love Ben Stein! I loved his movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. What a joy to see that arrogant so-called scientist, Richard Dawkins, appear like the fanatical nutcase he is speculating that aliens seeded the planet with life. Hey, it makes as much sense as the primordial soup.

Then there's the delightful column he wrote about Christmas controversy where he described how much he enjoyed Christmas trees and wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

So What Are You Doing for Dad on Father's Day?

Here are a few ideas:

1) The best -- Offer your Father's Day Mass for Dad. I'll be praying for the repose of the souls of my own dad and my father-in-law, for my dear husband, the father of our five children, for my granfathers and all my great granfathers who passed on the faith, for our two sons, fathers of 10 of our grandchildren, and our three sons-in-law, fathers of 12 of our grandchildren. That's a bunch of godly men fathering our family! Thank you, Lord.

2) Give Dad a symbol of his fatherhood. How about a picture of dad playing with the kids or grandkids. It's the time spent with little ones that is the best gift dads give to their families (after loving God and their wives, of course).

3) Make Dad's favorite dinner. My mom always said, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." We all love to eat and don't forget dessert. "Nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven, and homemade says it best!"  I'm making Larry's favorite -- pineapple upside down cake from scratch. Best recipe in the world is from the McCalls Cookbook I bought right after we were married. The back binding is long gone. It's stained and filled with notes and it is the source book for some of our favorite recipes -- especially the foreign foods and the how to use leftovers sections. I learned to make Thanksgiving dinner from that book and still think the stuffing recipe can't be surpassed. Yum!

4) Take Dad on an outing: to play golf or fish or out for a beer or for a swim -- whatever he likes to do. He'll appreciate the fact you want to spend time with him.

5) Give Dad a work day. Wow! I know at our house that would be REALLY appreciated. There is always more to do than time to do it. I was working in the pool area today vacuuming and clipping the overgrowth. It's just a small way to say, "Thanks, honey, for being such a good husband and father."

6) End the day with a family rosary for Dad's intentions. And don't forget the hugs and kisses!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!