As I think of my own father, I must thank You Lord for all the Fathers who have in one way or another influenced my life. You have sent us Fathers as glimpses of Your image throughout all of history. You have sent us men who led exemplary lives of strong and unquestioning faith to lead, teach and protect us .

In ancient times You gave us Abraham, upon whom, because of his upright life and unwavering trust in You, You established Your people. His trust in You was so strong that he was willing to obey Your word even to the willingness to kill his own son. You promised that his descendants would become like the stars in the sky and counted as the sand on the seashore.

As the time for fulfillment of the Word, and the establishment of Your new covenant came near, You sent Joseph, an upright man of faith and a carpenter from Nazareth to show the way. Your angels came to him and guided him to wed Mary, a girl much younger than he, a woman carrying a child not his own; and he did. He too trusted in the Lord in what he was told; things which were beyond his own understanding. And to marry, to love, protect, and teach and guide. He too was a man of strength and conviction who risked his own integrity to do the will of You Oh God and Father.

In Your Son Jesus, we have the ultimate example of selflessness, sacrifice and trust in taking on the sins and ultimate imperfections of humanity unto death in doing Your will as Your Lamb for our sins.

You gave us the ancient fathers and patriarchs of Your Church who in their own words and lives gave their all, many times even unto death. They have passed on the New Covenant and insured that Your Church, the body of Christ has remained strong, has grown and been nurtured and has kept true to Your Word, through scripture, tradition, the graces of the our sacraments; and it is continued through the teachings of the magesterium.

You have given us Your priests who we call "Father" to lead our spiritual families here in Your Church, and who we look to for teaching, guidance, and nurturing through the sacraments; We look to their lives as example and witness. We look to these, our faith family fathers as Your image here with us. You have also given us during my lifetime, but throughout the history of Your Church some wonderful men we call PAPA as leaders of our Church to inspire, teach and guide us in troubled times. From the chair of Peter they have been Your "Rock".

In my lifetime You have given to me my Grandfather. During his life he shone as an example of the depth of total trust and faith in You almighty Father. In total trust and hope in You, he left his home and moved to a strange new land to build a better life. He showed me the value of charity, of hard work, and the priority of children and family, as well as the respect for all life; and showed the beauty of a lifetime of deep faith.

You have given me my own father to show me the way. He too, trusted in Your will; and with strength and conviction he lived his life as an example and lesson to us, his children. He lived a life dedicated to all of us and our mother, and to You Oh mighty God and Father. My father showed me the qualities of strong but gentle manhood in his life of selfless hard work, deep faith, humble prayer, hope and joy in giving to others and loving his children and his children’s children.

And so I pray to You Oh Almighty God and Father, in praise for Your eternal kindness and blessings upon us. And I thank You for all the "Fathers" You have sent to us to guide and teach and strengthen us since the beginning of time right up through today. And I ask that I may always be guided by the blessings of their wonderful teaching, example and lived faith, to live my fatherhood fully as You have taught and shown. For You are all powerful and yet all forgiving and gentle; You are all knowing, yet allow us to fail and sin in order that we learn the depth of Your love.

Andy Cirmo (husband and father) 052405