General. We attend Sunday Mass in thanksgiving to the Lord for all that He has done with is during the week, for making us humans and raising to the level of beings capable of praise, like angels, and for giving us a community, the Church, within which to live. Sins against our neighbour are sins against the whole community for which in early life, one used to be banished from the Church and only return to the Living Body on Maundy Thursday after making due and visible penance. In calling God as Our Father we would be recognizing the communitarian aspect of the Church, just as when we used to proclaim at the end of the Preface that together with the angels we ‘sing with one voice’.

Ezechiel. The Jews might not have always understood God’s ways as being far from the thoughts of humans. Yet God uses a different logic when it comes to dealing with sinners. Sin brings along physical death with it, which also extends to eternal death to one’s soul in Christian belief. Should a sinner, however, go back on his ways and repent and convert to the Lord by doing good and justice, he will save his physical life and soul even for the very fact that he would have begged God mercy and shown repentance.

Epistle to the Philippians. St Paul wishes to see unity and love among his disciples and not ambition for pride’s sake. He exhorts them to be humble, considering each other as better than oneself, the same way as Jesus did when he condescended to become human and was obedient unto ignominous death on the cross. That is why the Father arose him from among the dead and returned him to eternal life, so that all humanity may take him as a model and look up to him as Lord for the Father’s glory.

St Matthew. It is rather what we actually do than what we say we will be doing, that counts in God’s view. Thoughts may be as important as actions when it comes to sin, but in fulfilling God’s words it is more what we do than the promises we make and do not keep. God knows what is hidden deep in our hearts and appreciates our efforts to fulfil our good wishes and gives us the grace to perform all those actions which fall within our God-given mission.

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