Everything changes with the birth of your first child. Amazingly, God has given you a share in His own Fatherhood. You begin to sense the responsibility, the eternal consequence of your role in the life of your child. You feel your own inadequacy. It can be overwhelming.
However, since God is the best Father, He also promises to give you everything you need to fulfill your mission. The first and most important thing, bar none, is to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Get that right and not only do you get to put worry aside, you can count on God to lead you and your family to His most precious gifts of love, joy, and peace.
What does it mean for a dad to “seek first the Kingdom?” It means to become a strong Catholic dad. Remember, God doesn’t require you to be a perfect Catholic dad, just strong: strong in faith, strong in hope, strong in love.
Foundational Beliefs of a Strong Catholic Dad
- God created all men for spiritual fatherhood, sharing in His Divine Fatherhood revealed perfectly through Christ.
- Fathers find the greatest fulfillment and joy in their fatherhood when they pursue the hearts of their wife and kids, bless their children, tirelessly teach them, and lead their families to heaven.
- Strong dads build strong children, and together they transform society.
- Strong Catholic fathers wield more power and authority than the rest of society due to the power of the Eucharist.
- Tapping into the unparalleled strength of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, strong Catholic fathers clothe their children in a joyful and glorious mantle as cherished sons and daughters of God the Father, instead of with a listless spirit, adrift on the sea of false promises, meaninglessness, and despair.
- There is an incredible urgency today for dads to build fulfilling relationships with their families, as well as bless and teach their children, while their children are most receptive.
- It is never too late to become a strong Catholic dad!
Becoming a Strong Catholic Dad
To become a Strong Catholic Dad, I have to undertake the lifelong journey of:
- Knowing, loving, and serving the Lord
- Knowing, loving, and serving my wife and kids
- Leading my family to know, love and serve the Lord
1. Growing in Relationship with the Lord
“God is my strength.” – Isaiah 12:2
I believe that fulfillment in life will ultimately come from growing in my own relationship with the Lord. I prioritize that relationship above all else, recognizing that:
- My sacramental life is crucial for living the joy and freedom of communion with God.
- My daily meditative/mental prayer is essential to keep my faith lively, supple, and relevant.
- Prayer irrigates the soil of my soul, making my life more fulfilling, fruitful and meaningful. “He who neglects mental prayer needs not a devil to carry him to hell, but he brings himself there with his own hands.” – St. Teresa of Avila
- Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is the shortest, easiest, surest and most perfect path to Jesus’ Heart.
- St. Joseph is the most powerful patron and guardian of fathers and families.
- “I believe I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13
Because of this knowledge, I freely choose:
- To Know God
- To strive to grow in my belief in God and all that He teaches through His Holy Catholic Church. (Faith)
- To Love God
- To love God above all things, and to love my family, others, and myself out of love for God. (Love)
- To trust God.
- To “kneel before the Father and [be] filled with the utter fullness of God who can do
infinitely more than I can ask or imagine.” – Ephesians 3:14-20 - To “delight in the Lord and He will give me the desires of my heart.” – Psalm 37:4
- To Serve God
- To seek heaven for my happiness, placing my trust in Christ’s promises, relying on God’s strength, not my own. (Hope)
- To “rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances.”– 1 Thes 5:16
- To live a sacramental life, receiving the Eucharist weekly and going to confession
regularly. - To confidently entrust myself and my family to Jesus, through Mary, in union with St. Joseph.
- To tithe and fully trust God’s promise to take care of my family when I seek first His Kingdom. To tithe is to trust.
2. Building Fulfilling Relationships with my Wife and Kids
I believe that my vocation as a Father requires me to build relationships with my wife and children, and that after my relationship with the Lord, these will be the most fulfilling things in my life. I recognize that:
- My relationship with my spouse requires consistent time and attention.
- My kids need to be regularly sought out and reminded that I love them and care about them as individuals.
Because of this knowledge, I freely choose:
- To magnify God’s Divine Fatherhood – His loving, leading, blessing and teaching.
- With all my heart, to pursue the heart of my spouse and of my children, just as God pursues my heart.
- To bless my children daily.
- To listen to my wife and children.
- To encourage my wife and children.
- To delight in the accomplishments of my wife and children.
- To show by my actions that my wife and children are more important than my work, my friends, and my leisure.
- To protect and provide for my wife’s and my children’s heart, soul, mind and strength (in that order!)
3. Passing on the Catholic Faith
I believe that it is my sacred duty to pass on the Catholic Faith to my children. I recognize that:
- My mission is to lead my family to heaven, and there is no room for failure.
- My children look to me to set an example of the importance of the Catholic Faith.
- My spouse and I are the primary educators of our children. It is our responsibility to pass on the faith, no one else’s.
Because of this knowledge, I freely choose:
- To lead my family to heaven.
- To teach my children tirelessly to love the Lord with all their heart, and to follow all His ways.
My Motto
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” – Joshua 25:15
My Inspirational Quote
“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.” – St. Augustine
