For the month of May, we continue our reflections for the Year of the Domestic Church by celebrating the gift of parenthood. We thank the Lord for the countless sacrifices that parents make, from sleepless nights to working long hours to provide for their families. Their roles are often thankless, but vital to our domestic churches. In their openness to new life, parents are cooperators with the Lord in creation and entrusted by God with the lives of their children.
Christ himself taught us to approach God as a parent. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus gives us the term “Abba,” meaning father. The use of this word indicates a level of intimacy and conjures-up ideas of the tenderness between a parent and child. The term also indicates a level of authority. The faithful are called to obedience in their relationship with God, as a child is called to obedience in relationship with his or her parent.
By looking to Christ and his relationship with God the Father, we see the beauty of reciprocity in relationships between parents and children. This month as we celebrate the gift of parents, let us celebrate the gift of the people who brought us into this world, as well as the gift of a loving father in heaven.