General. The Sunday congregation for the Eucharist includes all types and sorts of people with varied backgrounds and histories during the past week, yet the hall-mark of each one of them is that they have all been baptized and so hold the same faith. The Collect prays God to bestow steadfastness in unity so that with a single will, in a world full of woes, the Christian may find joy and happiness through Eucharistic communion with his brethren. Brotherly love, in short, by following God’s commandments.

Isaiah. The Lord’s choices are made according to His infinite wisdom and certainly could not be contested. It would be very wise for us to abide by them knowing that, even if we do not understand them, they are for the common good of us all. A loving Father does not give bad things to his sons, but good nourishment unto eternal life. Only if such sons bow down to Him and let His Will be done without trying to understand it will they reach eternal salvation.

Epistle to the Romans. St Paul harps on the same theme as in the first reading and sing’s praises to God’s Wisdom. It is in this wisdom that Paul sees Jesus’ glory and man’s nothingness in understand it. Judging God’s Will is certainly not a matter for human understanding but blind obedience to it certainly is.

St Matthew. Jesus did not want stereotyped answers from his disciples, the same as he does not accept any from us. God has each of our names carved on the palms of His hands and as He knows us individually so does He expect that we give personalized answers as to His existence and His direct intervention in our lives. Jesus was glad Peter answered him the way he did because he showed his belief in a living God rather than a dead idol as in those days pagans believed. Also, Peter saw in Jesus the Messiah whom the people of Israel were expecting to save them from their woes. In Jesus Peter saw a saving force from sin, the same as catechumens were expected to see in Jesus before their Baptism. By now accepting God as a living Farther and Jesus as a saving force from sin, we would be accomplishing our true and valid vocation of being Christians.

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