Fathers, Bless Your Wives & Children, by Bryan Gonzalez

By Bryan Gonzalez, The Catholic Gentleman, November 21, 2023

Bryan, his wife, and four children live in Des Moines, IA, where he is the Director of Development for InnerVisions HealthCare, an unplanned pregnancy and STD medical clinic serving women and men with compassionate, non-judgmental, and truthful information, sexual integrity education, and free medical care.  He also assists the Benedictine monks of Norcia as an advancement consultant.

The blessings of your father are mighty beyond
the blessings of the eternal mountains,
the bounties of the everlasting hills (Gen 49:26).

Children learn about their heavenly Father from their earthly fathers. Fathers should be the head of the family, strong leaders, faithful to their wives, and have a guiding hand in disciplining their children. In the probing words of St. Paul: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph 6:4) and elsewhere “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged” (Col 3:21). As fathers, let’s help our children be God-fearing and pious children, blessing them, not cursing them.

God the Father, through the divine instrumentality of the sacraments, blesses his children. Think about how the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders) leave an indelible mark or sacramental character on the soul (cf. CCC 1121). This sacramental seal conforms us more perfectly to Christ and gives us sanctifying grace, which allows us to share in His life and love. Other sacraments repair our broken relationship with God (Confession) and unite our souls more perfectly to our Creator (Holy Eucharist). In the supernatural order, the sacraments are ways in which God the Father blesses his children. …

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