Catholic Dads

As noted in the first post, I will be delving deep into the patrimony of the Church to unearth the various tidbits of wisdom that the Popes through the ages have imparted to us fathers on the front lines.

When I first proposed this topic, I thought I would either start at the beginning and drive forward or begin with the current Holy Father and work backward. However, I found two issues that make these routes difficult, if not impossible:

1. Of the 265 Vicars of Christ, there are only a few dozen who have produced writings that are extant.
2. Those popes whose writings have survived, wrote a lot!

So, rather that work chronologically, I have decided to write as the documents “present” themselves.

Now, in spite of having said all that, I will start at the beginning with Pope #1: St. Peter.

St. Peter offers us a perspective unique among (most) Popes, given that he was married. As you all know, St. Matthew the Evangelist reports that St. Peter was living with his mother-in-law [Mt. 8:14]. Clement of Alexandria offers us more details, relating that St. Peter also had children.

So, he was a husband and a father.

Inspired Scripture then delivers the first piece of papal wisdom regarding being a husband and a dad:

“…husbands, live considerately with your wives, bestowing honor on the woman as the weaker sex, since you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered.”

That’s 1 Peter 3:7 and it is a trifle frightening!

Unless we live considering – that is, thinking carefully – about our wives and all their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, our prayers will be hindered. We may attend Mass daily, say 15 decades of the rosary thrice weekly, tithe 20% and more to the church, treat our kids like gold, work with the steadfastness of St. Joseph, and more… yet if we neglect to think carefully about our wives, we have placed roadblocks in front of our prayers, step one in ending a relationship with her AND with God.

In truth, it can be easy to take your wife for granted and to begin to live as two adults in the same home tasked with the job of rearing some children. Statistics on divorces prove this and other similar scenarios are too common.

Yet to “live considerately with your wife” is not impossible if we follow through with the advice that St. Peter gives us in the next part of the verse: “bestow honor on the woman”.

How so?

One way would be to find opportunities to tell others (including your children) about the wonderful things she does. In doing so, you will think more about the good she does and the help she needs to accomplish this good.

Another way would be to ask for and respect her opinions.

Do you look for ways to bestow honor on your wife? What do you do?

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