The Monk and Father's Day
If I were a novice monk, abandoned by my father, this may be a letter I wrote to God on Father’s Day after some years of pondering the meaning of fatherhood and the flawed nature of all human relationships…
Praise be to the Holy Father, the Giver, the Kind...the Lord of the Worlds.
So, my Lord, we humans decided to have a Father’s Day to celebrate those paternal figures we hold dear and near. A day in which we honour all fathers alive, and remember those who passed. It's also a day for mourning those fathers we never knew, as well as those who’ve let us down. Those who stayed, and those who decided to leave us behind. This, my Lord, is a day most challenging for some of us.
You see, my Lord, no father is perfect, and therein lies the problem. But then again, You already know that, don’t You? You made sure that no father is as perfect as You, and that no human could ever be as whole and complete as they ever need to be. You made us flawed, my Lord, and today I pause and ponder why.
Let me tell you this, my Lord: I see it. I see Your wisdom on this trying day. To beings so flawed as we are, and as wanting, you give a permanent choice: to constantly strive to overcome our temptations, or to simply settle into them. I have made the mistake of misunderstanding what the former choice means; I thought we should be perfect, that we were damned for ever giving in to our weaknesses. But I think I may know better now.
After years of searching and reflection, I understand that I, your humble servant, may err. That I may give in to my demons and fall off track. That I may be the worst version of myself and wallow in a decadent stupor. I also understand that, You’d still forgive me, so long as I haven’t given up on my soul. You, my Lord, would forgive my transgressions, because You made me flawed. That is my perfection in Your Eyes; to be flawed and beautiful in my quest to forever do better.
So, my Lord, on this day of our year 2019, I stand before you, reveling in the light of Your imparted knowledge. Today, instead of the usual dose of bitterness towards my human father, I stand at peace with his transgressions in hopes of Your forgiveness of mine. May You, our Heavenly Father, let this day and forever more come to pass in joyous celebration of our beautiful imperfections as we err in humility and grace.
So, my Lord, we humans decided to have a Father’s Day to celebrate those paternal figures we hold dear and near. A day in which we honour all fathers alive, and remember those who passed. It's also a day for mourning those fathers we never knew, as well as those who’ve let us down. Those who stayed, and those who decided to leave us behind. This, my Lord, is a day most challenging for some of us.
You see, my Lord, no father is perfect, and therein lies the problem. But then again, You already know that, don’t You? You made sure that no father is as perfect as You, and that no human could ever be as whole and complete as they ever need to be. You made us flawed, my Lord, and today I pause and ponder why.
Let me tell you this, my Lord: I see it. I see Your wisdom on this trying day. To beings so flawed as we are, and as wanting, you give a permanent choice: to constantly strive to overcome our temptations, or to simply settle into them. I have made the mistake of misunderstanding what the former choice means; I thought we should be perfect, that we were damned for ever giving in to our weaknesses. But I think I may know better now.
After years of searching and reflection, I understand that I, your humble servant, may err. That I may give in to my demons and fall off track. That I may be the worst version of myself and wallow in a decadent stupor. I also understand that, You’d still forgive me, so long as I haven’t given up on my soul. You, my Lord, would forgive my transgressions, because You made me flawed. That is my perfection in Your Eyes; to be flawed and beautiful in my quest to forever do better.
So, my Lord, on this day of our year 2019, I stand before you, reveling in the light of Your imparted knowledge. Today, instead of the usual dose of bitterness towards my human father, I stand at peace with his transgressions in hopes of Your forgiveness of mine. May You, our Heavenly Father, let this day and forever more come to pass in joyous celebration of our beautiful imperfections as we err in humility and grace.
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