I started the day with prayer at this statue showing us how much God loved us...through the sacrifice of his only son on a cross. Below the statue were the graves of two aborted and five miscarried babies. As a father of four miscarried babies, my first thought was of mercy God provides these innocents by bringing them immediately into heaven. My second thought came back to praying the men and women who facilitated the abortions come home into God's graces.

I am a blessed man to have a father (and father-in-law) who taught me the meaning of devotion to family over self, to wife over self, to accept responsibility for my actions, and to honor God's commandments as a way of life. I know he picked me up, and kicked me along through hundreds of mistakes during my life. I also know he rejoiced in my successes when lessons applied finally yielded results.

As I labored for a living and travelled the world the last 27 years away from home, I came to realize this is not an experience all children receive. In fact report after report shows the lack of principled fatherhood is the primary factor for increased crime rates, lack of transmitted faith in God, disrespecting women in a hook up culture, and disengagement of boys with constructive endeavors and careers.

The only way to correct this problem in the future, is for a slow and steady conversion of hearts towards Christ. Christ provides the example of selfless love absent in much of our culture today. Christ provides the example of the stern, forgiving, task mastering, self sacrificing man needed to be a good father to children. Christ also demonstrates a humble reliance on God the Father, and subordination of his will to the master designer of all time and space needed to be a good husband to a wife.

If we look to Christ for answers, there would be no more abortions. We would never allow evil to come to our children if we were truly disciples of the word made flesh. From that simple beginning, so much more good would flow. Once we accept our fatherly call to teach, sacrifice and lead our families to heaven we never stop seeking a truth greater than we ourselves can understand alone.

So on this Father's Day I will pray graces flow, and men accept the call to be father's in the model of Jesus. It would simply make the world a much better place for the born and unborn alike.

-ehw