Father's Day 2022 Was like No Other

It's Father's Day 2022, and it's not just another Father's Day. And I will tell you why.

Our parish had one splendid gift idea for the fathers in attendance at Mass—concelebrating the Solemnity of the feast of the Corpus Christie along with Father's Day though the Catholic Church celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christie two days ago. There probably were other parishes that celebrated it today. Regardless, I call this Sunday a power tandem celebration. Would you agree with me?

Yes, it's Father's Day! As I put together this journal entry, I learned that here in the country, the first Father's Day celebration was on June 19, 1910.

Today is June 19—the same date as the first one! Learning about this today, all the more that I am in awe as we honor this day. It probably is just me, but as I reflected deeper into this occasion reserved for the fathers and father figures in our life, it is easy to recognize God and His inner workings in connection to this occasion that we honor.

As we know, here in the country, certain holidays don't necessarily fall on the same date every year. With that said, learning that the first Father's Day was also on June 19th, I could not help but get excited about it. Sure, this wasn't the first time it happened given it has been 112 years since. Still, the excitement that came with knowing cannot go undervalued. 

I am the type of person who interrelates things. I love doing that because it helps me find some valuable insights once I succeed at spotting a meaningful association or connection. My first reaction is to thank God.

Back to the topic, are we not thankful that someone thought of setting aside a day for fathers and father figures so they could break away from life's daily grind? Of course. And, oh my— was my husband in for some special blessing, not just today, but at least until the next one!

My husband, with all the other fathers all over the world, I am hoping, took the back seat to bask in whatever fun awaited them from all the planning. This day has to be apart from the rest—where they are honored as we acknowledge those sacrifices they make. Where lies the surprise is that not only were the fathers and father figures in attendance at Mass pleasantly surprised but everyone there and knew nothing about what the Lord had planned out to make the day exponentially blessed, through Father Ramiro, of course.

So, what exactly could I be referring to?

Alright. Father Ramiro surprised the congregation with the Blessed Sacrament exposition right after. As I mentioned above, the Catholic Church commemorated the Solemnity of the Corpus Christie two days ago. Do you now see how special this Father's Day has been to those in attendance at 8:45 AM today?

To me, nothing could be better than receiving Jesus—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, AND spending time in His presence during the adoration. It was the highest point of the celebration! 

And, just who couldn't use a little love today? We all do, do we not? Today, we got it in the most heavenly way possible! And to get that special loving from no other than Our Father—priceless!

In my other blog post, I mentioned that we have been attending the 8:45 AM Mass since mid-spring this year. Whoa—were we thankful that we've made this change, bravely made this change going from 10:30 AM to 8:45 AM, given the adjustments in our morning routine!

Here is why—

The next Mass is at 10:30 AM, also in English, followed by the noon Mass in Spanish. It would be a stretch to have this Blessed Sacrament adoration opportunity going to the 10:30 AM English Mass given the short window to the next scheduled noon Spanish Mass. 

I do not recall this adoration opportunity announced last Sunday, nor was it mentioned in last Sunday's bulletin either. This explains our excitement, at least my family's when Father Ramiro said towards the conclusion of the Mass that the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration soon after—a gift to the congregation since it is Father's Day. Marvelous, indeed! 

I, myself, was very thankful because I haven't gone to the adoration lately, which is why this Father's Day at church was like no other. This post-Mass Blessed Sacrament adoration fortified the tandem celebration. A gift within a gift.

During the adoration, I took the opportunity to pray the Sacred Heart novena that started on the 15th of June, and the Mother of Perpetual Help novena that started yesterday. 

God is not too busy to surprise and delight His people, especially on days reserved for celebrations. After all, He is our Father, and this Father's Day is for Him, too, which is why I am not in any way surprised we have days designated for fathers and mothers. It conforms to the fifth commandment—an act of obedience to the Father. What an opportunity that is given to us all to obey the Father! God has taken the initiative for families to sit down to celebrate parents, sometimes in spirit. Father's Day and Mother's Day have God's approval. 

We stepped out of the church walking in the sunshine, and took the forward motion reveling in God's goodness—ready to let the good times roll!

We drove to South San Francisco and had our fill at a buffet. God nourished us both spiritually and physically and wrapped up the occasion by watching a movie rental at home. If there was one thing I learned about how fleeting our life is here on earth is that moments go quickly. Celebrating moments should be at the core of our awareness. Today was filled with wonderful ones!

I'm no stranger to God proving His love when and where it's most needed as love is central to His attributes. Yes, I understand that when I put it this way, it may appear that I'm discrediting the struggles that disrupt our comfort level. It's not always a sea of sunflowers. I get that, but, today, the good Lord, once again, tickled my fancy, and when He does, I'm inspired to drop a scripture in my heart—

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared or those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Directing our thoughts around this verse, I sometimes wonder what awaits us in the next.

Today has been one of those that carry memory markers. We will return to this day remembering everything about this gift received.

Now is your turn to share your stories ingrained with a heavenly touch. Shoot me a message, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Many blessings!