Honoring the Father 

When you pray, say:  Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.

Jesus, teaching his disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9)

The fundamental pillars of a just society, we have learned, include the exercise of respect, free expression, charity, efforts to create opportunities for all, and the freedom to develop ourselves personally, physically, intellectually, and emotionally. We are taught that all of this “begins at home.” This is why the family structure, as the nucleus of society, is so important. The family, with father and mother at its head, plays an educational role in reinforcing these basic principles for communal living.

Moreover, man is a spiritual being. All civilizations have turned to a higher being as a result of this internal need, which is part of our own human essence. For some, religiosity is a series of rituals; for others, who see God as their North Star, God is everything. Conversion is understood as having reached a state where our conviction of being children of an almighty God is absolute and undeniable. For a convert, the relationship with God is not only an urgent need, but also an endless source of joy and growth. By directing our hearts to God, we receive His graces directly and abundantly. Therefore, once converted, we walk the earth without fear, without complexes of guilt, and without shame. We walk as warriors of kindness, victorious, redeemed, and exalted by God the Father.

It is natural at times to feel distant from God, despite our conviction to be His children and servants. This happens especially when we focus our prayers only on our needs, mostly of a material nature. Even so, we must remember that while it is true that we are children of God, we  are also made in His likeness and can thus assume that God the Father behaves similarly to a generous and giving earthly father. If God is Father, the expectation is also that we earthly fathers, would take pride in the achievements of our children and rejoice in their demonstrations of admiration and gratitude, as well as their ability to imitate us (when we strive to be exemplary), and exude an attitude of respect.

Yet… are we good children? We disrespect God when we do not speak to Him with love and esteem, when we do not honor Him, our Creator, with our thoughts and actions, and when we do not value the wonder of Creation, nor accept God’s authority and will or defend His Church. We also offend God when we contribute to the suffering of Jesus on Calvary, with every sin and every omission in our duties as worthy children, abusing our free will.

We are all called to respect and honor the Father, our heavenly God, with our abilities, our mental, emotional, and spiritual skills, and with our deeds and words. It is right and just to praise Him and glorify Him, with a contrite and grateful heart. It is right and just to bless Him, and to await from Him, our loving Father, His blessing for us and our loved ones.