Holy God, whom we call Father,
we give you thanks for the people who have been
our earthly fathers in this life,
and we pray for all sorts and conditions of fathers.
For fathers who have striven to balance the demands
of work, marriage, and children
with an honest awareness of both joy and sacrifice.
For fathers who, lacking a good model,
have worked to become a good father.
For fathers who by their own account were not always there for their children,
but who continue to offer those children, now grown,
their love and support.
For fathers who have been wounded by the neglect and hostility of their children.
For fathers who, despite divorce, have remained in their children's lives.
For fathers whose children are adopted,
and whose love and support has offered healing.
For fathers who, as stepfathers,
freely choose the obligation of fatherhood
and earned their stepchildren's love and respect.
For fathers who have lost a child to death,
and continue to hold the child in their heart.
For those men who have no children,
but cherish the next generation as if they were their own.
For those men who have "fathered" us in their role as mentors and guides.
For those men who are about to become fathers;
may they openly delight in their children.
And for those fathers who have died,
but live on in our memory and in the communion of your Saints,
whose love continues to nurture us.
All this we ask in the name of your beloved Son,
who is both father and mother to us all.
Amen.
—adapted from a mediation written by Kirk Loadman-Copeland, and posted by Melanie on the Ordinary Time blog.
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