The Bible tells the story of the Prodigal son, a less-than-perfect rouge who returns home to the unquestionable love of his father.

Welcoming back the boy who once rejected him, the father calls for a feast and celebration.

The parable is intended to teach about the importance of a lost sheep ­ or son, or soul ­ who finds its way back home.

But it teaches us something else, as well, about the unwavering love of a father for his child.

That love is something we celebrate today, on this Father’s Day. And, while the day is marked with cards and gift-wrapped presents, the message rings as true today as it did in Jesus’ time.

We hear much about a mother’s love for her child; about its depth and its passion; about its strength and its compassion; about its joy and its pain. But our society is less comfortable applying those same descriptions to a father’s love, but we should.

Fathers are, in many lives and families, a pillar of strength. They are also a coach and a playmate; an authority figure and a teacher; a parent and a friend.

And, most important, they are a role model the men who can teach boys ­ and girls ­ about the important things in life: faith, love, commitment, respect, laughter and responsibility among them.

We do well to remember that today on Father’s Day.  

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