WYOMING CATHOLIC FAMILY AND RESPECT LIFE MINISTRIES

Life Lesson #6

Fathers, Protectors of Life - Older Child/Younger Child Lesson

Scripture
In the book of Deuteronomy, we hear about the importance of the commandments. Parents are told to keep them in their hearts and to teach them to their children at home and when they are not at home. They are told to keep God's words always before themselves and their children. Deuteronomy 6: 4-9

In the Gospel of Luke, there is a wonderful story. Jesus is talking to the some men about how loving God the Father is and He tells them that He knows that, even though they are sometimes very sinful, they still want to give only good things to their children. He tells them and us that God is even more loving and caring than they are. He promises that God, His Father and ours will give the Holy Spirit to us if we just ask. Luke 11:11-13

The letter of Paul to the Ephesians reminds Fathers to not make their children angry. St. Paul tells fathers to help their children grow to know the Lord and all His instructions.
Ephesians 6:14

Important writings of our Church
In our bishops' document called Putting Children and Families First, men who are husbands and fathers follow God's plan for their lives by caring for their wives and children. It is important for him to help with the daily care of his children, listen to them teach them about God and about what is right and wrong. Whenever he can he does this with his wife.
The Catechism of the Cathoic Church tells us that the fatherhood of God is the source of the fatherhood of human fathers. A very important letter written by Pope John Paul II says the same thing. This letter is called Familiaris Consortio. It says that he must also show his children by his life how to live as Christians in our world today.

More about our lesson
Every child wants to be loved and protected. They wasnt to feel secure and cared for. Moms and dads have a very important part in this. Sometimes moms or dads aren't perfect, but even if human parents fail sometimes to be the best kind of parents for their childdren, God is still always there. His love is gentle and has no limits.

As boys grow up, they watch their fathers and other good men in order to learn how to be good and honest and how to treat other people with love and respect. They learn to make good decisions and that helps prepare them for their future life when they will be husbands and fathers or priests who care for the people of the Church.

All men who become fathers are called by God to care for their children even before they are born. If anyone ever wants to harm a baby by abortion or in any other way, fathers should do everything they can to protect their child. St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers and the protector of families. He is a very good example of all that fathers should be. His kind and generous heart helped Mary and Jesus be safe and secure. Fathers and families can pray to him to help them care for each other in the way they should.

Thinking and talking about our lesson
Who are the men who are the best examples for you? What are the good gifts and qualities you admire in your own dad or others who may be like a father to you? Already, at your age, what important lessons have you learned from your father and other good grown-up men in your life? When do you feel most safe? Who is with you? Does praying to God make you feel safe and secure?

Something to do at home with your family
Talk about what Jesus taught us about God the Father. For example, Jesus said we could ask the Father anything. He told us that He and the Father would come and make their home with us. The Gospel of John has many examples of what Jesus told us about His Father. Name some men in your family or others you know who reflect the goodness of God the Father. Remember that because we are human, these qualities in us may not be perfect. Say a prayer of thanksgiving for each of the important men in your life. It might go something like this: "Thank you God for ___________________. His _____________(Name the quality in this man that most reveals God's goodness) shows me that you are truly a loving Father. Please bless him with your love and make him a strong protector of the life you have given into his care.

Prayer
The Our Father is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. It is a prayer that expresses our confidence that God will truly provide for us all that we need in our lives and in our relationships with Him and with one another. Trust in God's care as you pray this prayer each day.

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."

Life Lesson #6

Fathers, Protectors of Life - Teen Lesson

Scripture
"Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart. and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Teach them to your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy6: 4-9

"Which of you fathers, if your child asks for a fish will give him a snake instead? Or if she asks for an egg will give her a scorpion? If you then, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him." Luke 11: 11-13

"Fathers, do not anger your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:14

Church documents
"A crucial measure of a man is the manner in which he cares for his family - whether children see his love, respect and care for their mother; and whether he is involved in their daily care, emotional support, spiritual growth, education, and development." Putting Children and Families First, United States Catholic Conference, December 1991

"The divine fatherhood is the source of human fatherhood...."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2214

"In revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God, a man is called upon to ensure the harmonious and united development of all the members of the family: He will perform this task by exercising generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the mother, by a more solicitous commitment to education, a task he shares with his wife, by work which is never a cause of division in the family but promotes its unity and stability, and by means of the witness he gives of an adult Christian life which effectively introduces the children into the living experience of Christ and the Church." Familiaris Consortio, paragraph 25

Further development
Every human person longs for the protective and secure love of a father, just as they long for the nurturing and tender love of a mother. At times, human parents fall short. In some cases, they might fail through cruelty or abuse and leave a seemingly forever hole in the hearts of their children, but we know that God can heal every broken heart because God is never limited by human understanding. His love for each person is tender and unconditional.
As boys and young men mature into adults it is very important for them to find good role models in their fathers or other men of honor, who are willing to speak for justice and live in ways which respect the dignity of their own lives and those of others. Every decision to choose right over wrong, every choice to care for oneself and others in body and spirit, every generous and helpful act prepares young men to be protectors of life in the vocation they will one day choose. It is the Catholic/Christian young men of today who can break the false images of irresponsibility our society imposes upon them. Following the example of Jesus and St. Joseph, they can treat girls and women with love and respect and care for young children with gentleness. They can be proud of who they are and who they are becoming as strong and honorable men.
Today, co-equal and co-responsible roles for men and women are held in high esteem. This means that both rights and responsibilities are shared. This has important implications for young people. For example, a child who is conceived as a consequence of sexual relations between two unmarried teens is as much the responsibility of the father as it is of the mother. The life of that child depends on both of them. Ironically, when it comes to the choice for abortion that is sometimes made in such situations, the father has very little to say about what happens to his baby. This is often true for fathers who are young or old, married or unmarried and this is an injustice. The teaching of the Church speaks clearly about the wisdom of reserving sexual relations for marriage. The teaching of the Church also holds that once a life is conceived, regardless of the circumstances of that conception, it is worthy of all care and protection. It takes great courage for men to do all they can to protect their children.
Their efforts must be supported by wives and mothers as well as by church and society.

Reflection and group discussion
Who are the men you admire most? What are the qualities you admire in your own father or others who may be like a father to you? As a young man or young woman, what important lessons have you learned about life from your father and other good adult men in your life? How do see men as "protectors of life?" Where do you think this role came from? Is it good and important today? What qualities do you want to see in men of today?

Faith-building at home
Talk about what Jesus taught us about God the Father. For example, Jesus said we could ask the Father anything. He told us that He and the Father would come and make their home with us. The Gospel of John is especially helpful in finding examples of what Jesus told us about His Father. Name some men in your family or others you know who reflect the goodness and qualities of God the Father. Remember that because we are human, these qualities in us may not be perfect. Say a prayer of thanksgiving for each of the important men in your life. It might go something like this: "Thank you God for ___________________. His _____________(Name the quality in this man that most reveals God's goodness) shows me that you are truly a loving Father. Please bless him with your love and make him a strong protector of the life you have given into his care.

Prayer
The Our Father is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. It is a prayer that expresses our confidence that God will truly provide for us all that we need in our lives and in our relationships with Him and with one another. Trust in God's care and protection as you
pray this prayer each day.

Life Lesson #6

Fathers, Protectors of Life - Adult Lesson

Scripture
"Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Teach them to your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6: 4-9

"Fathers, do not anger your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:14

Church documents
"A crucial measure of a man is the manner in which he cares for his family - whether children see his love, respect and care for their mother; and whether he is involved in their daily care, emotional support, spiritual growth, education, and development." Putting Children and Families First, United States Catholic Conference, December 1991

"The divine fatherhood is the source of human fatherhood...."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2214

In revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God, a man is called upon to ensure the harmonious and united development of all the members of the family: He will perform this task by exercising generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the mother, by a more solicitous commitment to education, a task he shares with his wife, by work which is never a cause of division in the family but promotes its unity and stability, and by means of the witness he gives of an adult Christian life which effectively introduces the children into the living experience of Christ and the Church." Familiaris Consortio, paragraph 25

Further development
Every human person longs for the protective and secure love of a father, just as they long for the nurturing and tender love of a mother. Human parents so often fall short. In some cases they fail through cruelty and abuse which leave a seemingly forever hole in the hearts of their children. God, however, can heal every broken heart. Because God is never limited by human understanding, persistent prayer and support of a loving faith community can lead even the most broken among us to an experience of the great goodness and unconditional tender love of God the Father.
In the lives of his children, the father is meant to represent protection and security and guidance. From him, his daughters gain their self-esteem and learn how to relate to men and what to expect from them in return. As a role model for his sons, he teaches them how to treat others and how to deal with his own emotions and those of others. His respect and love for his wife and hers for him, or the lack of that respect for each other are significant in the formation of the future marriages of their children.
In the lives of his unborn children, the father is no less important. In a time when co-equal and co-responsible roles for men and women are held in such high esteem, it is ironic that fathers have so little say about protecting the lives of their unborn children. As we seek to establish the rights of all people, we must avoid the extremes which protect some and harm others. We must not raise some up at the cost of demeaning others. The great importance of fathers and the dignity and goodness of men calls for support from wives and mothers, recognition from church and society, and responsible living from men themselves.
St. Joseph, the patron saint of fathers and protector of families is a wonderful model of all who seek to protect and care for those they love. A great faith and a generous heart like his are so needed in the world today; a world where children suffer and die, a world where all hunger for kindness and love.

Reflection and group discussion
What are the particular gifts that the men in your life bring to you? Think and talk about the importance of the role of father in the lives of children. Perhaps you would want to speak of your own experience of fathering or being fathered.

Do you have any thoughts the roles of men and women in family? How are they different and how are they the same? Do you see God's wisdom reflected in this? How?