Priests must ask God's grace to be good spiritual fathers.

(June 26, 2013) Fatherhood and the spiritual paternity of priests was the main focus of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass on Wednesday morning celebrated as usual at St. Marta’s Residence in the Vatican. Reflecting on the day’s liturgy concerning Abraham, who was given the joy of fatherhood in his old age . Pope Francis said it is very moving to imagine 90-year-old Abraham with his stick in hand defending his son, who God had asked as sacrifice, from attack by birds of prey. The Pope said a good father knows what its means to love and protect his children., and when a man does not have this paternal instinct, it means that something is missing, something is wrong.
All of us, he said, must feel the joy of paternity, and for priests it must be a pastoral paternity for those entrusted to their care. God desires that priests live in the church with the fullness of the special grace of paternity – a spiritual grace . We are all sinners, continued the Pope, but we must all ask for God’s grace to be good fathers, and priests, who do not have children must God for the grace to be good spiritual fathers. The desire of fatherhood is written in the very fibre of every man, and for a priest it is not different, even if his desire is oriented to live in a particular way – to look after the flock entrusted to his care.
Pope Francis concluded saying let us ask God for the grace for men to be good fathers and for priests to be good pastoral fathers