Priests and Fathers Must Make Heroic Sacrifices.
Father James Farfaglia-During the height of the Vietnam War, an Afro-American second
lieutenant led his small company on a patrol through the jungle. As they were making their way through the dense tangle of trees and vines, he suddenly noticed that a sniper had dropped a grenade in the middle of his men. Without hesitation the second lieutenant pounced on the grenade and saved his company by sacrificing his own life. Shortly after this incident, President Nixon awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously, which was presented to his mother.
Perhaps we will never be in a situation to sacrifice our lives as heroically as the second lieutenant did. However, it is quite possible that he was able to make the supreme sacrifice of himself, because his entire life was made up of many heroic moments of self-giving.
Anyone who wants to live true Christianity is called to live selflessly. What father who really loves his family will complain about the daily sacrifices that he must make to support his family? Will a Catholic priest, enamored of his priestly calling, not be filled with a profound joy as he gives himself untiringly to his parish family?
As I explained in my new book Man to Man: A Real Priest Speaks to Real Men about Marriage, Sexuality and Family Life [1], some men are called to be fathers of a family through the sacrament of marriage, and there are men who are called to be fathers of an immensely large family through the sacrament of Holy Orders. Fatherhood demands total self-giving.
True fathers will understand that parenting goes far beyond simply feeding their children and filling their day with hours of mindless television. True priests will always devote large amounts of time each week to preparing good Sunday homilies; to being available to meet the needs of their people; and to taking the time to visit the homebound and the sick in the hospitals. But if homes are abandoned because fathers are more concerned about their careers than their children, and if parishes are abandoned because the spiritual fathers are more concerned about their free time and entertainment than the souls entrusted to them, then it is no wonder that so many Americans wander aimlessly about seeking affection, love, direction, purpose and companionship?
Married love and celibate love can only be understood within the dimension of total donation of self. Selfishness will prevent us from the giving of ourselves unconditionally. If we live selfish lives, we will not experience the profound joy of Christianity.
Selflessness demands commitment. Commitment demands maturity, sacrifice, and a lot of love. Commitment means we have the ability to make a definitive decision and never think twice about the path that we have chosen.
Commitment means that we will follow through with the consequences of that decision through the difficult moments and the tedium of daily existence.
Immature men are incapable of making life-long decisions. Moreover, they are incapable of sacrifice, incapable of fidelity, and incapable of love. Only mature men are capable of these things.
Fatherhood demands responsibility. Every father who is a true man will be responsible for all of his actions. Today, most people escape responsibility by blaming their parents or society for the reasons as to why they behave the way they do. Although it is true that certain situations do influence our personal baggage that we carry through life, playing the blame game is self-indulgence and an escape from reality. With God’s grace and personal effort, every problem has a solution.
Our contemporary culture has an urgent need for men who want to be real men; men capable of making definitive decisions and carrying them through no matter what obstacles may come their way. Our society needs men who are generous, self-giving, honest, industrious, sensitive to the needs of others and well mannered; men who dress appropriately; men who are capable of an intelligent conversation with their wives, their co-workers and their friends.
Fathers, pray for the strength to be the man God intends for you to be. That goes for Priests and Dads. (slight editing by Jeff Gares)
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