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