Job 38:1, 8-11; Ps. 107:23-26, 28-31; 2 Cor. 5:14-17; Mk. 4:35-41

Happy Father’s Day!  This day we celebrate fatherhood in the image of God the Father.  We are blessed to have a Father in heaven who loved us so much he sacrificed his Son to save us from our sin.  A Father who once spoke to his people hidden by a vail reveals himself in his Son as a God of love, mercy, and justice.  This is our calling to love one another, be merciful, and just as fathers in our domestic church at home.  The love of fatherhood is perfect in sacrificial love “so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised”.  In Jesus, God has visited his people. 

For all boys who were told to be tough and not cry, hear this scripture “And Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35).  There is a time to cry and a need for tears to comfort our souls.  In the movie The Passion when Jesus dies on the cross, at that moment a tear falls from heaven and strikes the earth creating an earthquake.  It is a beautiful scene of the love of a father for his son.  It is the tear of sacrifice thus to love one another is to sacrifice for the other.  The Father’s sacrifice remains active in suffering for our sins.  We are reminded in Jn. 15:13 “No one has greater love than this to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” 

Recalling how Abraham who in his old age had his young son Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice to God.  Even though initially Isaac was unaware he would be the sacrifice to God once he understood what Abraham intended, he still remained obedient to his Father until a messenger from God stops Abraham.  We recognize the obedience of Abraham to God the Father but so did Isaac obey Abraham will to die as the sacrifice to God when he could have easily resisted being young and strong.  In godly love sacrifice is always a mutual cooperation between all parties whether it is the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or Father, Mother, and child.  Love unites to be of one mind for the greater good. 

If we have the courage to lay down one’s life for the other then “Why are you terrified?”  We are to live by faith not by sight.  Our sight looks around at all the “wind” of danger from all sides and we may call out to God “do you not care that we are perishing?”  Death is circling around us from pandemics, natural disasters, and a culture of death and God is asking “Do you not yet have faith?”  If God is with us then who or what do we fear?  Fear of the unknown calls on faith in divine providence.  Fear of evil calls on faith in the name of Jesus to rebuke evil with good.  Fear of our weaknesses calls us to the strength of God who promises to remain with us.  Fear not and believe in the Father’s love. 

A father’s love gives witness to faith and without faith it cannot be fatherhood.  Call it by another name, caretaker, provider, or guardian but fatherhood comes from faith in God the source of fatherhood in creation and perfect love.