Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven...
Reading (Romans 8: 14-17)
Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but a Spirit of adoption, through which we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Song (Psalm 103)
As the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is God's steadfast love
Toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on all who fear him.
The steadfast love of the Lord
Is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear him,
And his righteousness to children's children
Toward those who keep his covenant.
Reflection
Throughout human history men have feared God. The religious expression of every civilization echoes this fear. Behind the destructive forces of nature, in the silent threats of sickness and death, in the unpredictable course of human fortune, man senses an unknown force that he calls God, and he rightly fears him.But this is God only as he is known within the narrow limits of human understanding, not as he has revealed himself. The God who has revealed himself throughout the ages is very different from the God of fear; but he is known only to the small number who have opened their hearts in faith to hear his word. What God has revealed - and what his faithful testify to - is that he is the God not of fear but of love. This is the truth that is at the heart of all faith: that God is our Father; that he created us for love; and that he remains faithful to his love for all time.
We would not dare to call God our Father unless he revealed himself as Father. We would not dare to call ourselves his sons and daughters unless he revealed to us that that is what we are. And so he did reveal it, when he sent his beloved Son into the world to become man, to take our life upon himself, and thus to make us all the sons and daughters of God.
Prayer
God our Father, you so loved the world that you sent your only Son to dwell among us and to make us your adopted sons and daughters. We rejoice to call you Father. We entrust ourselves to your loving protection, and we resolve to live faithfully as your children, brothers and sisters to one another, both in this life and in heaven.