The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God

You have a Father in heaven who loves you.

No matter your experience with earthly fathers, God’s divine fatherhood continues to reach for his children.

In The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You into the Heart of God, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, leads readers through a 30-day journey that unveils the boundless love of God the Father, who has “a plan of sheer goodness” for each of us (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1).

By highlighting stories of heroic earthly fathers, The Father reminds Catholics of the deep love God has for us because of our very identity.

The Father presents 30 inspiring stories of exemplary fathers who reflect God’s paternal love, along with:

• Relevant quotes from Scripture
• Reflections and prayers
• And space provided for readers to write down responses to what they have read.

Dive deeply into the heart of God and grow in relationship with your heavenly Father with The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You into the Heart of God.

Pages: 160

"The Father by Fr. Mark-Mary has been a helpful resource for me during my time of prayer. Through the stories, biblical passages and meditations provided in this work, I have perceived the Father’s delight in me as His beloved son. I highly recommend this book!"

—Fr. Josh Johnson

Director of Vocations, Pastor, Author & Podcast Host of Ask Fr. Josh

"Christians often talk about having 'a personal relationship with Jesus' or being 'guided by the Holy Spirit.' But what about God the Father? Do we find our identity in the Father's love and live from that love day-by-day? Thankfully, Fr. Mark Mary's The Father helps us do just that... Through Scripture, the saints and compelling stories of true fatherhood, this book beautifully brings us deeper into the heart of the Father's love.

 –Edward Sri

Author of When You Pray: Trust, Surrender and the Transformation of Your Soul and host of the acclaimed podcast All Things Catholic

"Powerful, engaging, and vitally important. Fr. Mark-Mary speaks straight into our hearts with words that help to trust in the goodness and love of God the Father. In a world where so many of us have wounded relationships with earthly fathers and complicated ideas of what it might mean to have a Father in heaven, this book draws us toward the life-giving truth about our dignity and worth in the eyes of a loving God."

–Danielle Bean

Host of the Girlfriends podcast

"Through moving accounts of fatherhood and insightful meditations on Sacred Scripture, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, draws us to a deeper understanding of the merciful and loving heart of our Heavenly Father. This guided retreat will be a source of inspiration and an opportunity for the reader to renew their identity as a beloved son or daughter of God.”

–Fr. Michael Bruno, STD
Dean of Seminarians, Director of Institutional Effectiveness,

Professor of Church History

St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie

"Whether we tend to take God’s fatherhood for granted or ache to believe in the Father’s love, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames’ The Father will gently shake us awake to the most beautiful reality of our lives: we have always been, and always will be, loved."

–Claire Dwyer

Author This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and co-founder, Write These Words