Advent Meditations for Fathers - December 1, 2025 - Presence
And after the fire came a gentle whisper. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his mantle, and came forth to stand at the entrance of the cave. - 1 Kings 19:12-13
As Fathers, we are all drawn to doing things for our children that seem superhuman. Whether it is building a backyard roller coaster or getting that hard to get game console for Christmas, we all long to see that look of excitement and awe in our kid’s eyes. That gratifying “This is awesome!” - and if you’re lucky, maybe even a “Thanks Dad!” - can make weeks of preparation, planning, and hard work pay off in a moment. At heart, men are providers, and these moments provide an instant moment of pride and validation of this core aspect of our identity.
But sometimes, that same level of presence during the mundane moments of life can be much more difficult. There is no doubt that watching Thursday night football is more engaging than 2 hours of algebra homework. Even the best of us struggle to stay engaged for more than 20 minutes playing Paw Patrol. And this presence is even more difficult when we are balancing it against other necessary tasks such as work trips and being a present spouse and son.
God has ordained Fatherhood as the material prefigurement of our spiritual relationship with Himself. Our relationship with our children - good or bad - will ultimately serve as their first model of their relationship with Him. What a terrific - and perhaps more accurately, terrifying - honor He has bestowed upon us as Fathers! It is therefore incumbent upon us to strive to live up the divine archetype that we have been called to model. Our presence to our children provides a first primer into understanding the Divine Presence of their Heavenly Father.
During Advent and Christmas, we tend to naturally have more time to spend with family as the demands of life slow down, and therefore more opportunities to practice presence with our children. Below are some practical ways you can practice presence with your children this season:
Involve your kids in your activities. Actively watch the game with them, not just with them in the room.
Make time to encounter your children with them on their own field of play. If they are younger, this may be action figures or playing dolls. Older kids might be into music or sports. The importance is on spending time with them and allowing them to share the time with you. Avoid the temptation to turn it into your own agenda.
Make time to be present to your spouse. Often as parents we check out of our spousal relationships to focus on our children, which can be detrimental to those relationships. Your children need to see there parents engaging each other on a meaningful level as well.
This post is part of a broader set of reflections we are posting for Catholic Dads for Advent. Feel free to subscribe here to receive updates when we make a new post!