A Father's Heart

​Exceptions aside, the priest is unmarried, however, that doesn’t keep him from being a true father by vocation. The fertility that God grants priests is different, it’s an inner fertility that plants the seed of the Gospel and lets it grow. The priest is the one who begets souls for eternal life. He’s a father who teaches, educates, plays and has fun, but also corrects. He’s a spiritual father who listens to his children’s problems and advises and helps them overcome the difficult moments of life. The priest is a father who gets involved in his children’s lives, but also lets them be independent. He’s a father who’s present in the important events of life, like the Sacraments, but he also participates in the everyday moments, like a good football game. The priest is a father by vocation, that’s precisely why we call him “father;” it’s not a coincidence.

“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit* to those who ask him?” (Lk. 11:11-13).

(Original article and image here: ​https://catholic-link.org/seven-hearts-of-a-priest/)