Fatherhood and Catholicism | Part 6

In response to a question asked by one of our RCIA Candidates we first asked our some of our moms to answer the question: what does it look like to thread our faith through each facet of our lives? What does it look like to parent catholic and to work as a catholic and to not allow ourselves to put other things in front of God? Now we turn to the dads to give their insight. These are their answers.

This part 6 of a 6 part series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Many years ago, God invited me to be a part of His family. It is because of His willingness to accept me for ALL I was; humility guides my actions as a Catholic man every day of my life. It is through acceptance of my imperfection, and realization of His perfection, which allows me to remain confident in my decisions regardless of the result…success or failure.

During a stewardship week many years ago, when asked to consider how I give of my time, talent and treasure, for the first time as an adult I put serious effort into discerning what God was calling me and my wife toward. We began doing what we could with what we had, knowing that was good enough in God’s eyes.

Being a Christian is no easy task. I know God will always have my back, but that does not assure me of never having to sacrifice, undergo hardships or suffer pain. Dealing with this reality sooner than later gave me peace of mind and confidence I would be loved every step of my faith journey.

When I make a mistake, I know it will not be the last. I often find myself asking my kids to forgive me, requesting my wife to allow me another try at getting it right, or finding a way to repent through the sacrament of confession. Because habits truly guide my thoughts and actions, I had to be very intentional about infusing my faith into daily habits. Therefore, I participate or do the following things to maintain a regular focus on Jesus.

• Regular (weekly) fellowship with Christian men
• Daily prayer
• Listening to contemporary Christian music (car and home)
• Gathering information from Catholic media (FORMED, Sacred Heart Radio, Dynamic Catholic, Daily Scripture emails, etc.)
• Praying the rosary
• Reading faith formation books

To be present in my daily life God uses His church, the body of Christ, so it’s through my brothers and sisters in Christ that I hear and comprehend His message most clearly.

In order to do right by my family, my domestic church, I strive to be an example to them on how to live out the Christian faith in normal every day circumstances. Inside our home or out in the community they see a consistent, imperfect witness that I am a child of God. I even worked with my wife and children to create a family mission statement. So each day we now have a common goal of serving the people placed in our lives, providing Christ’s love to those we meet through humor, hospitality, prayer and music.

Being a Catholic Christian does not confine me to the parish campus or within the church walls, but rather calls me to authenticity in my roles of husband, father, son, brother, friend, businessman and member of the community in which I live. I regularly invite others to participate in parish life, encourage community and fellowship, and simply rely on His infinite wisdom to guide me. So each day I merely try to be the best version of myself, remembering God is good…

The best advice I can give on living out your faith in daily life is, understand God loves you right where you are in every moment. In order to love others as Christ, we must meet them exactly where they are (not where we want them to be) and simply love them to the best of our ability. Just be you when sharing the good news of the gospel…the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Guest Post Written By: Ryan McKenna

This wraps up our series hearing from a dad's perspective.