With his usual spiritual richness and his simple and serene style, Jacques Philippe reflects in this work on the spiritual paternity of the priest. He is aware of the difficulties and perplexities generated by the abuse crisis, but he considers that, precisely for this reason, it is all the more necessary to underline the beauty and depth of the dimension of paternity that priests are called to live.
In the first chapters, he deals in a general way with the figure of the father and the shortcomings and sufferings that occur when it is lacking, in aspects such as the understanding of mercy, freedom that is denaturalized, the dissolution of fraternity. Fatherhood, instead, is presented as a great gift, because "the loving presence of the father helps me to acquire the certainty that I am loved, with an unconditional love, with a love that I can never lose, a love that I can always count on no matter what". True fatherhood is characterized, first of all, by an unconditional love ("to be a father means to be a witness of God's absolute and unconditional love for every person") but also by exercising a role of reference ("to be the bearer of a word of authority, which is not there to impose itself on the other, to dominate or control him, but to help him to grow, to become free and adult").
In other chapters, he stresses that, in order to become a father, it is first necessary to live as a son in relationship with God: "the closer we are to God, the closer we can be to men, with a loving and respectful proximity". It is also necessary to be a son and spouse of the Church, and to be a brother, because "one cannot be a father if one is not first a brother, in charity, simplicity, humility and a spirit of service". Without claiming to be a complete biblical study, the author offers a meditation on the traits of fatherhood in great figures of Scripture: Abraham, Moses, St. Paul. He also presents a beautiful commentary on the beatitudes, which are placed in relation to the traits of spiritual paternity.
In a more specific chapter on the priesthood, the book deals with paternity in the different aspects of his priestly ministry: intercession for the people, celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, Eucharistic adoration, accompaniment or spiritual direction of others, ministry of confession, preaching, government of a community, defense of the poor and the little ones.
The book is addressed primarily to priests and, as we have pointed out, there are some passages expressly intended for them, but it also contains many reflections that can be of great use to others who exercise some aspect of fatherhood or motherhood: parents, those who exercise the spiritual accompaniment of others, educators, etc.