The image of fatherhood for Catholics begins with God the Father, in families and in spiritual families, Bishop Michael Izen said.
“I’m a spiritual father — we say ‘in persona Christi’ — in a very similar way (that) a natural father is an image for the children of God the Father,” Bishop Izen told Rachael McCallum, producer of the “Practicing Catholic” show, for an episode set to air at 9 p.m. May 9 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. “It’s a tall order, but just like it’s a tall order for a priest to really imitate Jesus, it’s a tall order for my two brothers who are both dads to be an image of God the Father for their kids. But I think that’s the goal.”
Growing up in the 1970s, Bishop Izen said, it was normal for fathers to work all day, while the family’s mother was typically home, watching the children. Still, his father reflected the love of God the Father, the bishop said.
“I wouldn’t have necessarily known what he was doing at work,” Bishop Izen said. “God is a mystery. And yet what mattered most about my relationship with my dad wasn’t what he was doing all day long. … What mattered is that he was always home for dinner. We always had family dinner. I always saw him. So that presence is what’s important, similar again to God’s presence. We know God is at work, to use the same word I would for my dad. He’s at work keeping the universe going. But what matters to us, as Catholics, is when we sense God’s love, God’s presence.”
Bishop Izen said that his father comes first among his spiritual fathers.
“He and my mom led the family rosary every day,” Bishop Izen said. “But I also saw him praying by himself. After that … I think my two older brothers would qualify. … What sticks out is when we prayed the family rosary or when we went to Sunday Mass. … They set that model well, this is just expected. This is what we do as Catholics. … Reflecting on this for today, I wonder if one of them would have been like a renegade, it probably would have been easier for me to fall into that as well.”
To hear more from Bishop Izen about the role of fathers in the Catholic faith, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. May 10 and 2 p.m. May 11.
Also on the program, transitional Deacons Alex Hall and Alex Marquette share their personal journeys that led them into the seminary. Also, transitional Deacons Benjamin Eichten and Zachary Ochsenbauer share how they recognized God’s voice in their lives.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
