Secondly, shadowing the fatherhood of the Heavenly Father follows Archbishop Speaks.... the logic of freedom. The accompaniment of a caring and responsible father does not mean being overprotective, possessive or overbearing. For, shadowing the Heavenly Father also implies respecting the freedom of the other, letting the other shape his or her own destiny, and providing THE VOCATION TO “SHADOW” THE FATHER the environment for the other to be the best self that he or she can be. The logic of love is the logic of freedom and therefore also the logic of Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, fatherhood. Love without freedom drifts into possessiveness and self- centredness. This requires a constant awareness that we are but foster Pope Francis, in his apostolic letter Patris corde, refers to Polish fathers and that the members of our families belong to God and not to novelist and catholic publicist Jan Dobraczyñski’s work ‘The shadow of us. They are not mere objects of our ‘petty-kingdoms’, but sons and the Father’ that describes the life of Saint Joseph based on biblical daughters of God entrusted to our care. Fatherhood, confused with texts in the form of a novel. Employing the image of a shadow, this authoritarianism, power and upper handedness only results in tyranny, novel shows how Saint Joseph, as the guardian of the Holy Family, oppression, dictatorship, and domination instead if trustful family subjected himself to God’s intentions and played his part of being a relationships. shadow of the Heavenly Father in a way that gives testimony to the values of responsibility, patience, and true love. Thirdly, the vocation to shadow the Heavenly Father requires that we do not content ourselves with self-sacrifice but reach the deeper In a similar line of thought, Ephesians 3:14-15 retraces the vocation paternal dimension of self-gift. A father is one who does not merely of fatherhood to the Fatherhood of God himself: “I bow my knees before fulfil his obligations or sacrifices his time, money, and energy for the the Patçr (Father), from whom every patria (family) in heaven and on other. Instead, he is one who offers himself in as a gift to the other. earth takes its name.” Pope Francis rightly recommends that every Sacrifice out of obligation that is not an act of complete self-gift could father is called to “shadow” the one true Father. God is the only Father only result in unhappiness, frustrations, and servility. On the other hand, and both priests and fathers of families are fathers in an analogical gifting oneself in fatherhood is fulfilling, because it signifies maturity in sense. Fatherhood is essentially a vocation to “shadow” the heavenly our vocation. Father. I propose this insightful metaphor for our reflection this month. What does it entail to be a shadow of the father in our individual We have a perfect example of these three dimensions of fatherhood vocations? in the person of Fr. Stan Swamy, whom we know to be a father of the anawim of modern India: tribals, dalits and those in the margins of our Firstly, fatherhood implies that we “accompany” our families in the society. He shadowed the fatherhood of our Heavenly Father: in his way that God the Father accompanies his creation. Saint Joseph’s courageous accompaniment of the liberation struggle of the poor and accompaniment of the Holy Family shadows the Heavenly Father’s the voiceless; in his prophetic priesthood that sought the freedom of accompaniment of Israel. As God the Father protected, shielded, walked the people he served and not his own; and in the complete gift that he along, and carried His people on their way to the promised land, saint made of his life, willing to offer himself as a martyr for the cause of his Joseph accompanies Mary and Jesus constantly watching over them people. in the face of trials, violence, and uncertainties. May the example of Saint Joseph and Fr Stan Swamy help us in our As the Pope points out, the world and the Church need such paternal vocation to shadow our Heavenly Father. accompanying fathers who are ready to shoulder the responsibility of the life of the other and well being of those in their care. As Saint Paul With prayerful wishes, would claim, we have countless guides but not enough fathers (1 Cor 4:15). Fatherhood is not merely biological, nor it is strictly functional. It is a way of being, a manner of relating, and a path of collective discernment. Therefore, the Pope says, Fathers are not born but made. We need to learn to be fathers in our patient accompaniment of those † Most Rev Dr George Antonysamy with us. Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore ¨û\YôrÜ 1 august 2021 ¨û\YôrÜ 2 august 2021 ,uz;lhtjhf ,iwj;je;ijapd; epoyha; khWk; miog;G> gpwUila ,iwjje; ijapd; ; epHyha ; thGk ; miHgg[; Rje;jpuj;ij kjpf;f ekf;F miog;G tpLfpd;wJ. cldpUf;Fk; nghWg;Gs;s je;ijapd; fdpT> gpwiuj; jdJ cilikfshf fUJtijNah> Rje;jpuj;ijg; gwpg;gjpNyh mHj;jk; ngwhJ. khwhf ,iw ,NaRtpy; md;ghHe;j rNfhju rNfhjupfNs ! ekJ nghWg;gpy; ,Ug;gHfs; jq;fSila nrhe;j ,yf;if jPHkhdpf;fTk;> mtHfs; jhq;fshf tho;tjw;Fupa FLk;gr; #oiyia ‘Patris corde’ vd;Dk; jdJ jpUj;J}Jt klypy; jpUj;je;ij Vw;gLj;jpf; nfhLg;gjpYk; cz;ikahd je;ijapd; mf;fiw gpuhd;rp]; mtHfs; Nghye;J ehtyhrphpaUk;> fj;Njhypf;f ntspg;gLfpd;wJ. md;gpd; top Rje;jpuj;jpd; top vd;gjhy;> mJNt gj;jpupifahsUkhd jpU Jan Dobraczyñski mtHfs; vOjpa ‘The Shadow cz;ikahd je;ijapd; miog;gpw;Fupa topahfTk; khWfpd;wJ. of the father’ vd;w gilg;ig Fwpg;gpLfpd;whH. ,e;j ,yf;fpag; gilg;G Rje;jpuk; ,y;yhj md;G Ra ikaj;jpw;Fk;> gpwiuj; jdJ nrhj;jhf tptpypaj;ij mbg;gilahff; nfhz;L Gdpj #irag;gupd; fUJk; kdg;ghd;ikf;Fk; toptFj;J tpLk;. ekJ FLk;gj;jpd; tho;f;ifia ,iwj;je;ijapd; epoyha; rpj;jupf;fpd;wJ. jpUf; Xt;nthU egUk; ,iwtidr; rhHe;jtH. ehk; ntWk; tsHg;Gj; FLk;gj;jpd; ghJfhtyuhf Gdpj #irag;gH ,iwtdpd; jpl;lj;jpw;F je;ijfNs vd;gij epidtpy; nfhs;s Ntz;Lk;. ekJ guhkupg;gpy; jd;idNa cl;gLj;jp ,iwj;je;ijapd; epoyhf nghWg;G> nghWik ,Ug;gtHfs;> ek;Kila Fl;b uh[;[paj;jpd; nghUl;fs; my;y. khwhf> kw;Wk; cz;ikahd md;G vd;Dk; kjpg;gPLfSf;Nfw;g thOk; ek;kplk; xg;gilf;fg;gl;bUf;fpw ,iwtdpd; gps;isfs;. je;ijf;Fupa rhl;rpahdhH. ,Nj ghzpapy;> Gdpj gTy; vNgrpaUf;F vOjpa miog;G Nkyhjpf;fj;jpw;Fk;> gpwiu xLf;Ftjpw;Fk;> jd; jpUKfk; 3:14>15 trdq;fspy; je;ijf;Fhpa ,iwaioj;jy; ,iwj; tpUg;gj;jpw;Fk; my;y. khwhf ek;gpf;iff;Fupa ghrkhd FLk;g je;ijaplkpUe;Nj Cw;nwLf;fpwJ vd;ghH. “,jd; fhuzkhf cwTfis Vw;gLj;Jjy; Ntz;Lk;. tpz;ZyfpYk; kz;ZyfpYk; cs;s Xt;nthU FLk;gKk; cz;ikapNyNa FLk;gkha; tpsq;Ftjw;F fhuzkha; ,Uf;fpw %d;whtjhf ,iwj;je;ijapd; epoyha; khWjypd; miog;G ek;ik je;ijaplk; ehd; kz;bapl;L Ntz;LfpNwd;.” vdNt jhd; jpUj;je;ij xU rpy jpahfq;fs; nra;tNjhL epWj;jp tplhky;> cz;ikahd Ra Xt;nthU je;ijAk; ,iwj;je;ijapd; epoyha; thoNtz;Lk; vd;W mHg;gzj;jpw;F miof;fpd;wJ. je;ij vd;gtH jd;Dila miof;fpd;whH. ,iwtd; kl;LNk cz;ikahd je;ij. FUf;fSk; nghWg;gpw;fhfTk;> flikf;fhfTk; jdJ Neuj;ij> nghUis> rf;jpia FLk;gj; jiytHfSkhd ehk; ,iwj;je;ijapd; cwit> ek;Kila jpahfk; nra;gtH kl;Lky;y. khwhf jd;idNa nfhilahfj; jd; gq;FfspYk;> FLk;gq;fspYk; gpujpgypf;Fk; miog;igg; FLk;gj;jpw;F mh;g;gzkhf;FgtH. fl;lhaj;jpw;fhf Nkw;nfhs;sg;gLk; ngw;wpUf;fpNwhk;. ,t;tiog;G ek; Xt;nthUtUila jdpg;gl;l jpahfq;fs; ek;ik vupr;rYf;Fk;> mbikj;jdj;jpw;F kl;Lk; jhd; tho;tpy; Vw;gLj;j Ntz;ba khw;wq;fs; vd;d? vd;gijj; Fwpj;J mioj;Jr; nry;Yk;. cz;ikahd je;ij vd;Dk; mh;g;;gz tho;T ,k;khjk; rpe;jpf;f cq;fis miof;fpd;Nwd;. Kjyhtjhf> ek;kpy; ,iwaioj;jypd; KjpHr;rpf;F toptFf;Fk;. ,iwj;je;ij Xl;Lnkhj;j gilg;NghL cldpUj;jy; Nghy> ek;Kila FLk;gq;fNshL ehk; cldpUj;jy; je;ijf;Fhpa miog;gpd; Kjy; ,iwj;je;ijapd; epoyha; khWk; ,e;j %d;W gupkhzq;fSf;F gupkhzk;. rpwe;j cjhuzkhf mikgtH mUs;je;ij ];lhd; rhkp mtHfs;. ek;Kila etPd ,e;jpahtpd; xJf;fg;gl;l ,iwtdpd; cz;ikahd jpUFLk;gj;jpw;F Gdpj #irag;gH mspj;j cldpUj;jy; kf;fshd goq;FbapdH> xLf;fg;gl;NlhH MfpNahUf;F ,iwj; ,];uNaYf;F flTs; je;j cldpUg;G vd;Dk; nfhilapd; epoyhFk;. je;ijapd; epoyha; tho;e;jtH mUs;je;ij ];lhd; Rthkp. ,];uNay; kf;fis ,iwj;je;ij ghJfhj;J> jg;Gtpj;J cld; ViofSf;Fk;> xLf;fg;gl;ltHfSf;Fkhd tpLjiyg; Nghuhl;lj;jpy; ele;J> jd; Njhs;fspy; Rke;J thf;fspf;fg;gl;l ehl;bw;F mtHfNshL ijupakhf cldpUe;j mtH> jdJ FUj;Jtj;jpy; jdJ mioj;Jr;nrd;wJ Nghy> Gdpj NahNrg;G jpUf;FLk;gk; re;jpj;j Rje;jpuj;ij ehlhJ> jhd; Copak; nra;j jd; kf;fspd; tpLjiyf;fhfj; rthy;fs;> td;Kiw> jaf;fq;fs; Mfpa midj;jpYk; md;id jd;id mHg;gzpj;jhH. ,Wjpahf jdJ kf;fSf;Fupa cz;ikahd kupahisAk;> ,NaRitAk; ghJfhj;J cld; ele;jhH. jpUj;je;ij kiwrhl;rpahf jd;Dila tho;it KOikahd nfhilahff; Rl;bf; fhl;LtJ Nghy> ek;Kila cyfpw;Fk; ekJ jpUmitf;Fk; ifaspj;jhH.