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On a Sunday in early September, the second reading was taken from St. Paul's letter to Philemon. In this extraordinary epistle, the great missionary to the Gentiles makes a gentle reference to his paternal role in the conversion of the slave, Onesimus.

He writes: "I, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, urge you on behalf of my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment: I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you" (Philemon 9).

It is not the only instance of St. Paul identifying himself as a "spiritual father." In his first letter to the Christians at Corinth, Paul once again affirms his fatherly role: "I am writing to you in this way not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Granted, you have 10,000 guardians in Christ; you have only one father. It was I who begot you in Christ Jesus through my preaching of the Gospel" (I Cor 4:14-15).

For the ordained priest -- I am one -- spiritual fatherhood is a life-giving role of the highest order. The priest is truly the father of his people, the shepherd of his flock.

Only those with the eyes of faith can see clearly the wisdom of the fatherhood of the clergy. One need only consider the duties of a priest to understand fully his role as an administrator of the mysteries of God (I Cor.4:1) -- in particular, preaching and catechetical instruction, to say nothing of administering the life-giving sacrament of baptism.

In Piers Paul Read's extensive biography of the late English actor and Catholic convert Sir Alec Guinness, he tells the charming story of an incident that occurred in the French region of Burgundy during the filming of the movie "Father Brown." The character of Father Brown, a fictional priest-detective, was the creation of English writer G.K. Chesterton.

At the time of the filming, Sir Alec was notoriously anti-clerical and a non-practicing member of the Church of England. A life-changing moment arose when a little boy took Sir Alec's hand as he walked along a country lane -- mistaking him, in his distinctive black garb, for a real priest.

The boy cried in French, "Mon pere, mon pere" ("My father, my father"). He then hugged Sir Alec. The surprised actor was understandably delighted. Then and there, his virulent anti-clericalism vanished for good.

According to his biographer, "This had led Alec to conclude that the Catholic Church could not be as 'scheming and creepy' as he had hitherto supposed, if it could inspire such confidence in a child, making its priests, even when unknown, so easily approachable."

After his conversion, the distinguished actor remained a faithful and devout Catholic for the rest of his life.

In recent years, fatherhood in general has suffered a crisis. Too many men have forsaken their roles as fathers in the home, which is the "domestic Church." A secular, anti-Christian mentality has attempted to diminish fatherhood in the life of society.

Even more distressing is the unrelenting attack on the Fatherhood of God! That is why the priest as father and ambassador must be countercultural: the first witness to his faith in his ministry for the sake of all men, whose vocation in life is to serve the Lord in the capacity of fathers and exemplars of virtue in the home and in an increasingly Godless culture.

Appearing on the Sunday news show "Meet the Press" years ago in the aftermath of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, then-Cardinal Francis George of Chicago addressed a question about the most important factor in considering a prospective candidate for the priesthood.

Without hesitation, he replied, "Unless a man sees himself as a father, a spiritual father, he is not fit for the sacrament of holy orders."

It is worth noting that the most successful religions of the world today, in terms of attracting new members, strongly emphasize the role of the father as a figure of authority and a man of sound character -- one who is disposed to praying with his family and with the larger community in a place of worship.

Where strong fathers are absent, religious faith suffers. Simply look at once-Christian Western Europe and the Scandinavian countries, to cite just two examples. In so many countries, the Christian faith is moribund.

Let all priests embrace their God-given role as fathers. The heart of the Church demands it! Our secular culture needs us!

(Father Yanas is pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Troy.)[[In-content Ad]]

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