Today is the eleventh Sunday in ordinary time. And today is Father’s Day. It is a day when we take special note and give special thanks for the gift of parenting – the gift of dedicating oneself – mind, heart, body and time – to the task of shaping and guiding our children into living a full life. Jesus often spoke of “the Father”. It was his controlling image of God. God is Abba – God is Dad. As he showed us in the parable of the prodigal son, God is the kind of father who patiently waits for his child to come to his senses and come home. God is a father who waits, then runs to and hugs his child. In his excitement this father fails to ask for explanations or excuses. He just wants to celebrate having his child back.

In today’s gospel Jesus looks out over the crowds following him. And he looks out over them with a father’s eyes and a father’s heart. Matthew tells us Jesus’ heart was moved to pity for them. The word used here to describe Jesus’ feelings is very strong. The Greek word is splangchnistheis; it means Jesus’ gut was deeply wrenched at the sight of the crowds.

What could cause such a strong reaction in Jesus? We are told: Jesus, seeing them with the eyes of Abba, feeling for them with the heart of Abba, realizes “they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” “Sheep without a shepherd” means living life without that caring, patient father running to hug us back into home. “Sheep without a shepherd” means living life without a guiding presence pointing us toward fuller, deeper life. “Sheep without a shepherd” means being people without pervading purpose. This is what wrenches Jesus’ gut. That should not be! It just should not be that we live life without goals that open our hearts and our hands to others.

Jesus knows that in the Father’s vision we are made for grand purpose and noble goals. The way Jesus puts it is that we are made for the kingdom of God. And especially in the gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us quite clearly what living in that kingdom means for us. It means: we are made for joy -- yet we settle for pleasure. That should not be! It means: we are made for justice – yet we clamor for vengeance. We are made for beauty – yet we are satisfied with what merely entertains. That should not be! It means: we are made for spirituality, for a life surging in God’s own Spirit – yet we become mired in self-help introspection. And that should not be! The limits – the walls – we create to box ourselves in – they should not be!

We celebrate Father’s Day today. We celebrate who and what brings us life – abundant, full human life. We celebrate Abba Father and the life he wants for us. We celebrate the kingdom of God.

Nelson Mandela reminded us once: we are children of God, and so our playing small in life does not serve the world. Let us then live as children of God. Let us play big in life. Let us serve the world.