Wanted: Perfect Father

I love looking at the picture above. It's actually a sculpture of St. Joseph embracing the Blessed Mother and the Divine Child. Oh, what a perfect portrait of a loving father! - one who is the head and protector of his family. Don't you wish every father in the world is at least a little bit like him?

My dad is not a perfect one. He has his share of shortcomings and faults. Out of my respect for him I'm not going to list them down here. It's a personal thing and I don't think it's a good idea for a son to malign his father even though everything that I write here is anonymous. At this point in my life I don't want to blame him for anything... even for my condition as a person with SSA (same sex attraction). They say that the father plays an important role in the development of homosexuality in a growing child. Any failure on the part of the father to "nurture" his growing son properly or any failure in the part of the male child to "identify and associate" with his father during his growing up years all contribute to the process. I guess there must be some truth to this in my case and I'm still in the process of uncovering the bits and pieces of my past.

On the other hand I'm still very much grateful. I still live with my dad and everyday he never fails in providing for us, although all of us now in the family have their respective jobs. He still cooks our meals every single day and he does it like nobody else can. I'm proud to say that my dad is a great cook, even better than my mom in this respect. He may not be demonstrative in showing his love for us, but I know he loves us and he is doing it in a way he knows best. Yesterday I got a surprise from my dad - he gave me his Nokia 2600 cellphone! Wow, finally, a cellphone with camera and a host of others features that my present cellphone from the Jurassic era does not have. All that I think because I'm the only one who texted him 'Happy Father's Day' last Sunday. Thanks dad for the great gift.

Whenever I see a father walking hand in hand with his child, I can't help myself but stare at them for awhile and ponder a bit. It's picture perfect - a Kodak moment. I love pictures of a dad and kid playing around. If I had a camera I would certainly take shots of them and post them all here in my blog. I believe every child must be given the opportunity to bond with their dad very well, and every father must strive to be the spiritual head of his family - providing not only for the material needs but most importantly the emotional and spiritual - just like St. Joseph. When the right time comes and if it be my destiny, I would like to be a great father too - someone my future spouse and kids would be proud of - someone who may not be "perfect" but devoted and loving.

Belated Happy Father's Day to all dads! May you realize that there is no amount of success that can compensate for failure and brokenness in the home.

St. Joseph the Worker

Today, I would like to pay tribute to St. Joseph, the Workman, by publishing some excerpts from the book Saint Joseph As Seen by Mystics and Historians:

Jesus speaks: "Finally, I would like to draw the attention of parents to how Joseph made a clever workman of Me, without any help of pedagogical learning. As soon as I was old enough to handle tools, he did not let Me lead a life of idleness, but he started Me to work and he made use of My love for Mary as the means to spur Me to work. I was to make useful things for Mother. That is how he inculcated the respect which every son should have for his mother and the teaching for the future carpenter was based on that respectful and loving incentive." pp. 303

St. Joseph and me

I only got acquainted with this great saint a few years ago after I bought the book I mentioned above. It's almost an inch thick and I highly recommend it to all who wants to know St. Joseph in a more intimate way. When I think of it I cannot figure out why I haven't been devoted to him much earlier. He has been with me ever since. You see I spent my grade school and high school years in a local Catholic school named after him, I have a brother who was born on his feast day, March 19, and consequently named after him, and my best buddy's name bears his name too (although he has an extra name attached to it). Regrettably, up until now, I can only best describe my devotion to him as mere sentimentality, and worse I only remember him when I'm at the end of my ropes and have nowhere to go. Nevertheless, I know he is always there to help me and that thought always comforts me, and so I urge everyone to have a special devotion to this great saint especially for people with SSA and father issues.

Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker

"Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O patriarch St. Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity." - Pope Pius IX