Your greatest treasure
- Marcelo Bastos
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
Fathers of Saint Joseph – Meeting Notes (by Willie Hayes)
Date: Saturday, 16th August 2025
Location: St Joseph’s SMA Church, Blackrock, Cork
Reflection Reading
Book: LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness by Devin Schadt
Pillar III: Assume your authority
Reflection 122: Your greatest treasure
Summary
This Saturdays meeting takes the word treasure as a noun - what we treasure and as a verb: how we treasure. These are applied to the dynamic of divine authority and obedience to our father in heaven, and how well that reflects in the natural dynamic of authority and obedience between our children and us. The parable of the master giving his servant talents to invest is invoked in this context [Luke 19:11–27], each of us servants is invited to invest in our children with what we’ve been given, but the how is left up to us.“ The father entrusts your family to your fatherhood so that they may become aware that God treasures them so that in turn they may treasure God”.
“You stand before God as His representative of your wife and children and accountable for how you have invested in them.”
God so entrusted Joseph with Mary and Jesus. We are God’s representative in this indispensable mission, “and if we don’t do it, no one else will”.
Comment
The freedom to spend our time can lead us to serving ourselves, indulging our passions or pursuing boyish dreams, while neglecting or avoiding those we are called to serve.
Contributions
Despite the challenge of raising kids in faith, Jesus has the victory already won and in time they come around.
To acknowledge the sacrifice of yielding our will to do what’s required not what we prefer.
Chats about the birds and bees are a great example where reluctance is directly proportional to necessity.
Balancing our desire to be obedient—for example, attending Mass—when others in our family are not in the same mindset.
Another dad said his daughter said she saw how in college so much unhappiness comes from not following God.
St Joseph. Pray for us in our fatherhood.
Side note:
These summer weeks after the SMA mass has left a space for breakfast and chat, and great friendship, fellowship and fun are developing as a result.
Positive listening:
Comments