Today is another Sunday of much celebration. We celebrate the glorious feast of the Most Holy Trinity. God is three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We should never take for granted that we know who God is and that He invites us to know Him and His love. It is also Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all our dads, granddads, goddads (godfathers), and our spiritual dads. Please call or send an email to your priest and thank him for being your spiritual father. Pray for priests today.
Today is also the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. It is the national championship...a big tournament which is right up the road at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. The Open was first held at Congressional in 1964 and was won by Ken Venturi. I saw a story about him on TV the other night. It is compelling. He struggled in his career even though he had immense talent. So much of his story, though, was about his father. His dad sounded tough...and that he was hard on Ken. He never seemed to affirm Ken even after he won the Open. Years later, Ken was ready to bag the game altogether but then, his father said to him, "son, you were the best I ever saw". Ken was telling this story as an old man, and this statement of his dad's seemed to make his life! He told the interviewer, "my dad said I was good". This was a huge statement to him that went deeper than golf, I believe.
It's a huge statement for any of us to hear from our fathers that we are good. Approval from our parents is so important for all of us and our self-worth. They are the first to define us. We bond with our mothers in the womb and they usually overwhelm us with love and approval. So, it's really the approval of our fathers that we seek. If our parents, especially our dads, show and tell us that we are good at an early age, then we are set for life believing that we are good. But, if not, then we might go most of our lives like Ken Venturi doubting our self-worth.
Fatherhood is so important; I am so grateful to fathers who are faithful and loving toward their kids. But, many are not even there. I looked up the stats on this and about 30 percent of homes in the U.S. are fatherless. Abandonment is the ultimate rejection. Additionally, there is a percentage of fathers who might still reside at home but are too busy for their kids. They don't go to their games, don't tell or show them they love them, are harsh with them, or might even abuse them. There are many people in this church and walking the streets of Washington today who have a "father wound". I work with several GW students who seem on the outside to have it all together but are a total mess inside because their dads never told them they loved them or that they are proud of them.
It's not just with how we view ourselves that fathers play an enormous role. It's with how we view God. Even psychologists tell us that how we view God is based on how we view our fathers. Many people with a "father wound" see God as mean, strict, or harsh. But, our readings today paint a different picture. In the first reading - from the OLD testament- God is "merciful and gracious...slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity". Yes, this is from the Old Testament. Throughout Scripture, God is merciful and slow to anger...slow..to...anger. He is rich in fidelity always! God is always with His people and constantly offering His mercy. He is a God of "love and peace", the second reading says. God loves us!
For people who have a "father wound", this news of who God is is shocking and fresh. They come to know real healing by coming to know God their Father. They come to know that God loves them, not for winning the U.S. Open or anything they've done or haven't done, but just for who they are. God loves us! If we really believed that in our hearts, our worlds would be different. If everyone believed that, the world would be different.
The greatest sign that the Father loves us is the Son. God sends His Son into the world, the Gospel tells us, to save us...so that we will be with Him forever. This is why He created us. He continues to send His Son to us in the Eucharist by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we receive God's love in the Eucharist today - as His love comes within us - may we realize His love. May each one of you know deep in your hearts that you are good and you are loved by God the Father.
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