What a fitting Gospel reading we have for Father’s Day this Sunday! It shows Jesus Christ as a man for others. We see that his heart overflows with concern and compassion for the suffering crowds of people following him around. He sees how much they long for a better life, for a deeper understanding of the meaning of life. Just like a loving father.
Jesus is not indifferent to these crowds: he cares. They matter to him. And Jesus hasn’t changed. He is still not indifferent to us now. He knows our hidden sufferings, fears, hopes, and dreams, and he cares about them. We matter to him. Our needs are his needs. By giving us a glimpse of Jesus’ heart, this Sunday’s Gospel reminds us of that.
Christ has a beating heart even now, as he sits enthroned in heavenly glory, and it beats for each one of us. That’s the kind of love Christ has for us, and it’s the kind of love we are all called to live.
This is why examples of noble self-sacrifice are so often present in great art and literature, even in non-Christian cultures. They even make their way into popular culture. One of Walt Disney’s classic animated movies is an adaptation of a German fairy tale The Little Mermaid. In fact, there is also a live action version which is in the cinemas right now.
In the film version, a mermaid, the daughter of King Triton, the lord of the sea, falls in love with a human prince. Deceived by the false promise of a wicked sea witch, the mermaid ends up selling herself into the witch’s power through her efforts to win the prince’s love.
When King Triton hears of his daughter’s plight, he rushes to her rescue. But since the mermaid had freely made a deal with the witch, the king has only one option: he has to let himself be locked up in the witch’s prison to set his daughter free. His love is so great that, of course, he is willing to make the sacrifice.
It is a beautiful story, and it rings true — there is something right and noble about sacrificing oneself for the good of others. That’s love — that’s God’s love, which goes much deeper than emotions, and we are created in God’s image, so deep down we all want to love like that.
But, in The Little Mermaid’s case, King Triton’s love for his daughter was a natural love. Most human fathers would do the same, and many of us have experienced the beauty of this natural, self-sacrificial love at work in our fathers.
But Christ takes this natural love and super-naturalises it. Christian love extends this self-forgetfulness not just to members of our immediate family, but to everyone. That’s why our Church is called “Catholic”, which comes from the Greek word meaning “universal”.
This Father’s Day, remember not just your biological father. Pray for every man who has ever given you fatherly love and concern. Pray for your mentors, spiritual fathers, priests, the Pope and so on. They surely need your love and your prayers. But most of all, remind yourself of the love of your Heavenly Father whose love for you knows no bounds. The Little Mermaid’s father only went to prison for her. Our Heavenly Father sent his Son to die for us.
