Year of St. Joseph (Part 7)

(An excerpt during the reflection night on St. Joseph by Rev. Fr. Wilfredo de Mesa Jr. OSJ, Parochial Vicar of Sanctuario de San Jose in Green Hills, Manila, via DXGN 89.9 Spirit FM-Davao, April 29, 2021. The Oblates of St. Joseph is a Congregation of priests and brothers who live the spirituality of St. Joseph. They work for the education of the Youth, the parish ministry and the propagation of the devotion to St. Joseph. Part 7 of a series.)

Another factor for the crisis of fatherhood is a shift in our culture’s understanding of the meaning of fatherhood. Noon daw po, okay, the absence of a father was experienced and understood as a tragic lost, a tragic misfortune. Kapag wala kang ama hindi po ba it is something na parang kaawa-awa. Pero nag-iba yong ating understanding nito, sa ngayon daw, the absence of a father is considered a lifestyle choice. For example po: may mga babae na ayaw nila magka-asawa, gusto lang nila magka-anak who will be her companion when she grows old, out of the picture na yung husband. Kaya nga po meron na tayo ngayong mga anonymous sperm donation. Kung gusto mo magka-anak, bili ka sa laboratory ng isang anonymous sperm. So, hindi mo na kailangan magkaroon ng ama, it is a lifestyle choice. Yan po ang nagiging culture natin ngayon and you know my dear brothers and sisters, this is unfortunate because, being a father is a beautiful vocation. I would like to repeat that, being a father is a beautiful vocation, you know why? Because human fatherhood is a reflection of the fatherhood of God.

There is one fatherhood, God the father, the fatherhood of God. The creator of the world. Hindi po ba during the baptism of Jesus and during the transfiguration of Jesus at Mt. Tabor, a voice was heard from the clouds. At ano pa ang sabi ng boses na ito? “This is my beloved Son listen to Him” In other words God describes Himself as a father and he has a son. So, human fatherhood flows from that fatherhood of God. May nakakaisip pa po kaya sa ating mga ama ng ganito? “Napaka swerte ko bilang ama, sapagkat ang pagiging ama ay pakikibahagi ko sa pagiging ama ng Diyos, kaya sisikapin kong maging mabuting ama, sisikapin ko na ang aking pagiging ama will be a reflection of the fatherhood of God, kaya yung aking mga anak mararamdaman nila, mauunawaan nila ang pagmamahal ng Diyos ama, sa pamamagitan ko.” Beautiful!

Now, to solve the eclipse of fatherhood, to solve this crisis my dear brothers and sisters, fathers need to be good fathers. They need to live their stewardship responsibly. The question is, what makes a good father? Ang Simbahan, binibigyan tayo ng isang modelo, a father far excellent. The Church gives us a model of human fatherhood; we have St. Joseph. Pope Francis, when he declared the year of Saint Joseph, released as I have told you, a letter entitled “Patris Corde”; and in this letter, he affirms St. Joseph as a model of fathers, because he loves His Son, Jesus, with a father’s heart. And the Pope pointed out several attributes, several characteristics of the fatherhood of St. Joseph. Ano-ano daw po ito? Una, St. Joseph is a beloved father – isang ama na madaling lapitan, isang ama na hindi kinakatakutan because he is not a tyrant, he is not authoritarian. Siya ang ama na madaling sandalan, kaya madaling sabihin “Ite ad Joseph”, go to Joseph. Yan po ang unang Characteristic, St. Joseph is a beloved father. So sa mga amang nandito are you a beloved father?