Interior Strength, Family Mission: Reflections from the Third Saturday of July 25 Gathering
- Marcelo Bastos
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Fathers of Saint Joseph – Meeting Notes
Date: Saturday, 19th July
Location: St Joseph’s SMA Church, Blackrock, Cork
We gathered on the third Saturday of the month, as usual, after the 7:15am Mass. This time, five of us met in the church’s kitchen for our reflection and conversation.
It was a joy to welcome back one of the fathers who had been away for several weeks due to recovery from an accident. We were glad to see him doing well and took time to catch up before starting our reading.
Reflection Reading
Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness by Devin Schadt
Pillar I: Listen to Discern Your Mission – Embrace Silence
Essay 38: Interior Life and Exterior Strength
The central theme of this reading was the idea that our inner life shapes how we live outwardly. Private prayer is not just for ourselves—it reveals the presence of God within us to the world.
The reading opened with the challenge we all face in examining ourselves—distinguishing between what is good and what is not. While Scripture is our guide, we often need ways to bring our real life into that dialogue with God.
The author pointed us to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount:
"Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Mt 7:9-11)
From this, a simple three-step way of praying was offered:
Bring our experience as fathers to God – Consider what our life is revealing, and seek what God may be disclosing through it.
Compare our fatherhood to God’s – We desire good for our children, even in our weakness. How much more does God desire what is good for us?
Let that comparison remind us of God’s love – He loves us personally and abundantly, more than we can hope or imagine.
Call to action associated with the reading:
Set aside 15 minutes, take the Gospels, and enter into a quiet conversation with God. Trust that He will speak, and that what He asks will be worthy of who you are.
Personal reflection associated with this reading: page 444.
Key questions for personal reflection included:
Do I follow the Gospel of Christ or the gospel of the world?
Do I trust that in silence, God can infuse His life and presence into me?
Personal Reflection
In the Bible I use at home, the Sermon on the Mount is introduced as the moment Jesus gives the new law, just as Moses gave the old law on Mount Sinai. But Jesus’ law calls us to interior transformation through the Holy Spirit.
I reflected on how Jesus, in that passage, also teaches us to pray through the Lord’s Prayer. It includes seven petitions—recognizing God’s holiness, asking for His reign, His will, His provision, His mercy, His protection, and His guidance.
This deeply shaped how I see God—not only as powerful, but near, good, and trustworthy.
In my own journey, when I first felt the call to lead my family in faith, it felt overwhelming. I expected pushback. But I faced it with humility and decided to take prayer seriously. Over time, my family joined me. We now pray together daily and try to live according to God’s will. It has become part of our everyday life.
Shared Thoughts from the Group
Our conversation flowed into different areas of fatherhood:
The limits we face, especially with large families, reminded us that we cannot do it all. We must focus on what is essential.
One father recalled times in Ireland when resources were scarce, yet there was still gratitude and reverence for what little was available.
We acknowledged how wasteful we can become today, and how easy it is to lose sight of what really matters.
We also spoke about how modern culture often diminishes the value of family. Families are smaller, and the concept itself is diluted. That brings many challenges.
Final Thought
Despite our limitations—personal, cultural, or material—we are not alone. We are children of God. And God is not limited.
We left with a renewed sense of trust: that even when the world is not favourable to family life, God can and will give us what we need to carry on. We pray that He continues to provide what is essential, so we can live our sacrament of service—marriage—faithfully and fruitfully, for the good of our spouses and the education of our children.
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