Drawing from the traditional Litany of St. Joseph and the writing of the Popes on St. Joseph, we hope to sketch some of the virtues of human fatherhood.? As Leo XIII said in his encyclical on St. Joseph, "Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance."? This was confirmed by Blessed John Paul II, who in a meditation on St. Joseph, observed that St. Joseph is "a perfect incarnation of fatherhood in the human and at the same time holy family."
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - It may be said that fatherhood is the vocation of all men.? Though "Father's Day" focuses on the fathers of human families, fatherhood itself is a broader concept.? Fatherhood is, in fact, a highly analogical word.? That is one reason the term can be applied to God the Father, from whom all fatherhood, in heaven and on earth, is named.? (Cf. Eph. 3:14-15)Fatherhood is a relationship that is much more than biological fatherhood.? We understand that when we commonly acknowledge St. Joseph to be a father to Jesus, though he was not his biological father.? As Pope Benedict XVI noted in 2009, St. Joseph "is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely."
In this article, we will focus on the qualities of St. Joseph, who is often called the Umbra Patris, the "Shadow of God the Father," to try to understand the characteristics of human fatherhood which find their origin in God and the Father, and which are honored by Americans on this day.?
Drawing from the traditional Litany of St. Joseph and the writing of the Popes on St. Joseph, we hope to sketch some of the virtues of human fatherhood.? As Leo XIII said in his encyclical on St. Joseph Quamquam pluries (No. 4), "Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance."? This was confirmed by Blessed John Paul II, who in a meditation on St. Joseph, observed that St. Joseph is "a perfect incarnation of fatherhood in the human and at the same time holy family."
A father acts justly.? Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues which every father must nourish and practice.? A father treats those with whom he comes in contact, in particular those who are members of his household with justice.? St. Joseph, the Scriptures say, was a "just man" (Matt. 1:9), and so sought a way to handle Mary's "'astonishing' motherhood" with justice.? (JP II, Redemptoris custos, No. 3)? While just, St. Joseph was also open to the equities of mercy.? He was also aware that, in applying justice, the just man must consider all extenuating circumstances, even the most unexpected circumstance of Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit.
A father is chaste.? We call St. Joseph "the most chaste spouse" for a reason, and he exhibited heroic chastity.? However, all men are called to chaste living.? Chastity in marriage means, above all, conjugal fidelity to one's wife.? More broadly, however, it means also rigorous conformity with the Church's teaching of human sexuality, including rejection of the modern ills of unnatural sex, artificial contraception, and pornography, as these are destructive of the marital relationship and the family and are intrinsically anti-life and so unbefitting to a virtuous man.? This purity is spiritually required, as only the pure in heart shall see God.? (Matt. 5:8)
A father exercises prudence.? St. Joseph, we pray in the Roman Missal at the Preface for the Solemnity of his feast, was placed "at the head of his family, as a faithful and prudent servant."? Prudence, which might be defined as "right reason in action," is called by St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Bernard of Clairvaux the auriga virtutum or charioteer of virtues.? It is a habitual disposition to dispose "practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it."? CCC ? 1806.? For its proper exercise, it obviously requires maturity, discipline, obedience to the natural moral law, and openness to God.
A father exhibits strength.? The strength exhibited by a father is not necessarily physical strength, but moral and spiritual strength, that is, the internal power, force, vigor, and moral stamina of human character required to do right when difficult and avoid evil when temptation beckons.? In short, a father has the virtues of fortitude, the strength to do good in adversity, and temperance, the strength to avoid evil when tempted.
A father is obedient to God and ...
Source: http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=51374
Hannah Storm fergie new years looper New Years Eve New Year Outback Bowl
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন