Father’s Day Through The Eyes of Art, St. Joseph and the Church

I have a new insight into the importance of fathers this year as I see my two sons and two sons-in-law interact with their children. One of my son-in-laws says that he could never see himself as a father a year ago and now.. well he could not imagine missing this experience. All our 5 grandbabies thrive on the rough, fun play that seems to come more naturally to fathers than mothers. My daughters and daughter-in-laws shake their heads and smile because dads relate so differently to the babies. 

Fathers are so important in the development of their children.  The Bible is clear that Fathers are to be spiritual leaders in the home and has much to say about both our earthly fathers and God our heavenly father.

 Psalms 103:13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

Deuteronomy 1:29-31 Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,  and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’

Modern sculptures and paintings of St. Joseph, emphasize his strength and protective attitude for his young wife and vulnerable infant son. A model for modern dads.

San Miguel Gallery

artist, Thomas Marsh

Artist: John Collier, Dallas, TX.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The duties of parents

2222 Parents must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human persons. Showing themselves obedient to the will of the Father in heaven, they educate their children to fulfill God’s law.

Fathers, especially, must place importance on a relationship with even their infants, not only intellectually but spirit to spirit.

The image God gave me is of a triangle of light with strong bars of light flowing from the heart of the mother to father’s heart  and up to God at the top of the pinnacle, with the children protected in the middle of the triangle.The light of love filled the triangle protecting the children. So first parents must work on a relationship with each other and with God. Including even babies in that community will then flow naturally.