St. Paul, the Myvi, and the Home Church: Why Every Father is Called to Be a Priest
Author: Alan lee of St Anthony Bec
It was somewhere between a traffic jam and a tearful memory that it struck me.
I was in my Myvi, inching through the after-school chaos of the city, wondering how on earth I got here — not just on this road, but in life. Behind me sat a teenage son who still needed his father, even if he didn’t always say it. Further back in my memory was a younger me, who once chose to sleep on the couch instead of holding my crying baby at night. I had stepped back from the priesthood of fatherhood.
But God is not done with us, even when we try to check out early.
God’s Design for Fathers
Scripture is unambiguous about the role of the father as the spiritual head of the home. St. Paul exhorts: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). This is not a sentimental affection, but amor cruciformis — cruciform love. It is self-emptying (kenosis), demanding sleepless nights and prayer-filled mornings.
Joshua’s declaration resounds with the clarity of covenant: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Jos. 24:15). This service is not merely attendance at Sunday Mass, but the daily leading of the family altar — even if it begins with a hesitant, awkward prayer over dinner.
The Second Vatican Council names this vocation plainly: “The family is, so to speak, the domestic church” (Lumen Gentium, 11). Within this ecclesia domestica, the father exercises a real, though non-ordained, participation in the priestly office of Christ (munus sacerdotale Christi).
When the Father Steps Back
We rarely speak of the spiritual void that appears when fathers retreat from their calling. When a father is absent — or present in body but absent in leadership — the weight of the family’s spiritual journey falls elsewhere: often upon the mother, sometimes upon the child, and always upon the soul of the home.
Children who do not see their father engaged in the life of faith may grow up believing that faith is optional, distant, or irrelevant. Wives carry burdens they were never meant to bear alone. And the domus — the home — becomes a house without a shepherd.
But There Is Redemption
If this stirs discomfort, take courage — it is a sign of life. God is in the business of rewriting stories.
The same hands that once reached for the couch in avoidance can now reach for the candle to light the family prayer. The same voice that once kept silent can proclaim blessing over a child. In the mystery of grace, our failures do not disqualify us; they can become the very altar upon which God builds renewal.
Building Your Home Church – Ecclesia Domestica in Practice
Bless Your Children – Benedicere Filios
From Isaac blessing Jacob (Gen. 27:27–29) to Christ laying hands on the little ones (Mk. 10:16), the paternal blessing is woven through salvation history. It is not superstition, but a spiritual act of protection and love. Place your hand on your child’s head or shoulder, pray aloud for their future, their protection, and their identity in Christ. Let them hear God’s promises through your voice.
Shape a Family Rhythm – Sanctificatio Temporis
The Church invites us to sanctify time (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 12). This can be as simple as grace before meals, a decade of the Rosary before bed, proclaiming the Sunday Gospel at home, or marking feast days with small rituals. These patterns form a habitus fidei — a way of living where faith is not an interruption but the air the family breathes.
Lead with Humility – Praeesse in Paenitentia
St. Paul tells us that Christ “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8), and Familiaris Consortio reminds us that family communion is strengthened through sacrifice and dignity (FC, 21). A father’s leadership gains credibility when he is willing to say, “I was wrong. Please forgive me.” This is true both in the confessional and in the living room. Children learn that leadership is not about never falling, but about always returning to the Lord.
Conclusion: The Home as the First Seminary – Prima Seminaria
In the eyes of the Church, the father is not merely a provider of material needs, but a steward of souls. The family table is an altar. The living room can be a sanctuary. And yes — even a Myvi stuck in traffic can become a moving chapel when a father sees himself as shepherd of his flock.
Do not wait until you feel “ready” or “holy enough.” Deus non vocat perfectos, sed vocatos perficit — God does not call the perfect, but perfects the called. Begin now: bless your children, pray with your family, and lead them toward the patria caelestis — our heavenly home.