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Today is Father's Sunday; therefore, I wish all fathers a happy Father’s Day.

In our society, people often talk about mothers and appreciate the role of mothers. Generally, people think of mothers as loving and caring. At the same time with the activities of women’s movements, fathers are portrayed as domineering and authoritarian.

In a context of this nature, how can we understand the role and responsibilities of fathers? In our society a few decades ago fathers were the breadwinners of the family. Fathers were considered as the head of the family. The whole family expected the security from the father. But today up to a certain extent this has changed with working mothers in some families.

In these changing situations it is important to redefine the place and role of fathers in our society. However, I think still the members of the family expect security from the father.

Due to many reasons at times this expected role is not fulfilled by the fathers. There are some fathers who are violent and assault their children and wives. Some other fathers do not show their love. Also, some fathers do not do any work to earn money to look after their families. However, the majority of the fathers perform their expected functions in their families.

What is the Christian understanding of the Father? As all of us know in the Bible often God is called the Father. In the godhead, we find God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit which is called Trinity.

The Christian season we now are in is called Trinity. During this season the liturgical colour is green, which symbolises growth. As Christians, we are called to grow in God the Trinity. Therefore as we commemorate Father’s Day it is appropriate to understand how to grow in God the Trinity.

This God the father in the Trinity looks after his children. He is caring and hears the cries of his children. He is a loving father.

Although he is called God the Father according to Christian belief he is the son and the Holy Spirit as well. Therefore this God is not just a unilateral father but also a unity. In a way, our God is like a family. Because the qualities of the Holy Spirit are more like the qualities of a mother in the family. For instance, the Holy Spirit is the counsellor, Who is with us always and who gives us comfort. Therefore Godhead is more like a family. That's why we have to understand God the Father in the context of a family. He has motherly qualities and the qualities of a son.

Here God teaches the fathers that they are also called to have the motherly qualities and the qualities of sons. Because the fatherhood of God is complete only in God the Trinity.

This model enables fathers to be more human and godly because our God became a human being in Jesus Christ which is called incarnation. Although he is divine he was willing to take the human form of his son.

In this season of Trinity, fathers are called to grow in this model and others in the family are called to facilitate fathers to grow in this model.

Let us ask God to give us his grace to make this a visible reality in our families. May God bless you, Amen.