Tag: "fatherhood"

Rejecting Abortion, Affirming Life
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Rejecting Abortion, Affirming Life

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Thousands braved severe weather last week to attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C., giving a vital public witness to the sanctity of life. In this column, however, I will reflect on a very personal situation with my wife’s first pregnancy six years ago, when abortion was presented to us as an option. Our […]

A Strong and Faithful Love: From God the Father to Our Own Fathers
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A Strong and Faithful Love: From God the Father to Our Own Fathers

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I once heard a story about a missionary who was working in an impoverished area where fathers were not a part of the everyday lives of the children. When she taught them the “Our Father,” they couldn’t understand what the love of a father was like. So, with the best of intentions, she taught them […]

Movie Review <em>I Am Potential</em>
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Movie Review I Am Potential

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The new movie, I Am Potential, is based on the true story of the Hughes Family whose son was born without eyes and unable to walk. I almost didn’t want to even tell you that, because I had the experience of coming at the story cold, and was hit by the element of surprise at […]

The First Heralds
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The First Heralds

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My husband was watching the morning news when footage of 433 hot air balloons in France lit the screen and he pressed pause, beckoning our daughter. “Look, Maria!” he said. They watched the segment together, but Ted wasn’t satisfied with its educational value, so he found an online video of another hot air balloon, kicking […]

Distracted
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Distracted

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“Was daddy involved with us when we were little?” she asked. “Did he want to spend time with us?” I wondered why she was soliciting these questions although I guessed it had more to do with the fathers of the families that she worked for than her own father. As a young adult woman who […]

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel
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Front Row With Francis: What Makes a Good Father

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On February 04, 2015, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the family, reflecting on the dignity and role of fathers. Last week he spoke of the danger of “absent” fathers, reminding us of Saint Joseph who was also tempted to leave Mary, when he discovered she was pregnant. He was prevented from leaving when the […]

The Travesty of Two Daddies
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The Travesty of Two Daddies

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Every once in a while, I come across a story that stops me in my tracks. Like the Italian high court’s decision to overturn a pedophile’s conviction because his 11-year-old victim says she’s “in love.” Or the Australian judge who pointed out that easy access to abortion and contraception may lead to the legal sanction of incest, as it […]

Blessed Mother Knows Best
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Blessed Mother Knows Best

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Passing on the faith at home with Marian piety During his installation at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago last November, Archbishop Blase Cupich challenged those in attendance to pass on the faith to young people through their “authenticity of life, where words match deeds.” The message was not just for Catholic teachers and youth ministers, […]

<em>Isn't She Lovely</em>: A Million Grandfathers Say
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Isn’t She Lovely: A Million Grandfathers Say

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In 1976 my daughter was born. I was head-over-heels in love with her. At the time I was a commercial writer for a television station; I remember clicking away on my manual typewriter in time with a new tune by Stevie Wonder: Isn’t She Lovely. To me (and a million other new fathers) that song […]

<em>Catholic Dad</em>—a Book to Inspire
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Catholic Dad—a Book to Inspire

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Society is schizophrenic on fatherhood. Studies show that by every conceivable measure, children are better off with fathers. Yet the entertainment world often portrays them as bumbling or non-essential. The feminist movement has furthered that notion because at least for some take-charge kind of women, men just get in the way anyways. But it isn’t […]

Building a Better Fatherhood
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Building a Better Fatherhood

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Cultural support for fatherhood has collapsed in the past 50 years, and there are few signs of a renewal. In light of this, how can fathers summon the courage to fulfill their mission? Their mission is two-fold: to love their wives and commit to providing for the total welfare of their child. Each of these […]

Standing Tall
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Standing Tall

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Sports movies have a built-in source of drama. In every contest there are winners and losers, hard work and teamwork, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Yet such movies also can lapse into melodrama and cliché: slow-motion metaphors that elevate sports above other challenges of life. Yet the best sports movies fit […]

Father Rules
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Father Rules

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It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.—Pope St. John XXIII I often feel completely lost and befuddled as a Catholic father in today’s world. How do I set the right example? How do I help my sons grow up with a strong Catholic faith? How […]

Dads Think Different
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Dads Think Different

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Picture this. A newborn lies in a bassinet, wrapped tightly in a hospital blanket, with a cute woolen skullcap covering the fuzz of hair on his head. Mom looks from her bed, exhausted from giving birth but glowing as she gazes at the angelic face of her child, pulling on the heartstrings of love that […]

How I Accepted the Challenge of Christian Fatherhood
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How I Accepted the Challenge of Christian Fatherhood

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Emily and I drove home from the hospital in complete silence. The gravity of the moment eleven years ago hit me: we were responsible for someone else’s life. Gulp. At this time, I had been a Catholic for only three years. Through conversion, I fell in love with the theology and the sacraments. Yet, I […]

A Father to Fathers
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A Father to Fathers

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Whether it’s through his exhortation “Be Not Afraid!” or the deep insights contained in Theology of the Body, Blessed John Paul II has had an enduring impact on families and fathers. John Paul, who led the Church into the new millennium, will be canonized April 27, along with his predecessor, Pope John XXIII. Over the […]

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel
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Front Row With Francis: Fatherhood

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Pope Francis reflected on the meaning of fatherhood during his weekly General Audience held on the Feast of St. Joseph—the Foster Father of the Lord.  The Pope asked all the ‘daddies’ in the crowd estimated at 60,000 to raise their hands and then he shared his special wish for fathers and their children: “Be for […]

Getting Your Act Together
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Getting Your Act Together

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During a recent coffee meeting with a friend, he said, “You seem to have your act together on the fatherhood front. What’s your secret?” I was taken aback because I don’t think I have my act together at all. I don’t mean that out of false humility. I pray every day to be a better husband and father […]

The Ways of God for Fathers – Foreknowledge
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The Ways of God for Fathers – Foreknowledge

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St. Thomas Aquinas writes: God foresees with prudence all future things, good or bad. Before they happen, He knows them and sees the good or evil that will result from them. This would seem pretty difficult to imitate at first glance; after all we can’t predict the future. On the other hand, I recently read […]

The Ways of God for Fathers - Consistent Love
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The Ways of God for Fathers – Consistent Love

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In every family there are there are three primary relationships for the father. In descending order of importance: the first is the father with God; the second is the father with the mother; the third is the father with his children. Constancy in love: Dad must pray every day-on his own and with his family. […]

The Ways of God for Fathers - Consistent Discipline
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The Ways of God for Fathers – Consistent Discipline

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Thomas Aquinas writes: In God there is a primary perfection, which is that He never changes His nature. … Let us strive therefore to acquire a stability of spirit… God does not change. His ‘anger’ or ‘wrath’ we sometimes read about in Holy Scripture is not really God changing His mood or His feeling for […]

Terrible Twodom
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Terrible Twodom

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Some parents call it a meltdown, others use the more familiar word tantrum. I call it the Land of the Terrible Twos. It’s a place never far away where our active boy goes when he doesn’t get his way, or when he wants more attention. He’ll be happy with his dessert as mommy and daddy […]

The Ways of God for Fathers - Introduction
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The Ways of God for Fathers – Introduction

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Some years ago a group of men from my parish were providing escorts and security for an all-night Eucharistic Adoration vigil for life. I drew one of the wee hours. My relief didn’t show up, so I stayed on for some more hours. I brought with me a little book: The Ways of God by […]

Making a Tough Decision: The Economics of Putting Family First
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Making a Tough Decision: The Economics of Putting Family First

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It was time to make another dreaded phone call telling  my wife that problems had come up and I wouldn’t be coming home the next day as scheduled. I was thousands of miles away, yet I could hear the disappointment in her voice as she tried to be understanding. She was used to this happening, […]