My oldest son, Joe, just had his first confession in preparation for his First Communion, which will be held this coming weekend. This was such a proud moment for my wife and I. There we were, looking at our boy receiving another sacrament and tearing up over the fact that he is growing up way too fast. Joe was nervous and excited at the same time before he met with our priest, Fr. Mario. He asked a ton of questions and wanted to go over each step of the confession process until we were blue in the face. After his confession, Joe came up to me and gave me a huge hug and said he felt “as light as air”. He asked if it was normal for him to feel at peace and “super happy” after going to confession. I told Joe he was feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit in his soul, to which he replied, “Ahh, I love it. When can I go again?” I love that boy!

During his homily, Fr. Mario spoke about how Christ is the Good Shepherd and we are his flock. Father said sheep will only follow their shepherd and will not move until he leads the way. This is such a perfect example of how Christians should live their lives, and how much trust should be placed into the Lord. We will never go astray as long as we follow Christ. As Joe received his first confession, he showed the world that he is following his Shepherd and will continue to do so as he receives his other sacraments.

This made me think about how I, as a father, am the shepherd for my family. I am responsible for leading my wife and kids to Christ and doing whatever I can to avoid anything (or anyone) that could lead them astray. I know there is nothing I can do to absolutely ensure my family’s salvation and purity, but I can lead by example and show them Christ-like love at home. Sharing my faith with my sons brings me joy and pride, and I can only imagine how God feels when His children follow Him.

I pray that you find peace and happiness as you lead your family on the path of the Good Shepherd.