Matthew 6
By Sister Marianne Ferguson
When we see the word OUR we notice the thought of ownership. In a sense, God belongs to us, and so the opposite must be true. We belong to God. God has called us into his own, and our relationship is mutual. We are in a family relationship with God. Yet if we believe the words of our prayer, Our Father will love us no matter what we do, something like a parent with a child. However, we are in an adult relationship where we can share our fears, joys, disappointments, frustrations and pain with Him. God has become our closest friend, the one we can turn to anytime, not only at the convenience of the other person.
It is a challenge sometimes to remember that the word OUR means that God is in this intimate relationship with everyone because the word “Our” is plural. God’s love is inclusive in that everyone is part of His family. Sometimes we are challenged to love everyone as God does, especially when they annoy us, get in our way, or do not live up to our standards. Yet if we believe the words of our prayer, we will try to be as inclusive as God, our father, is toward all of his creation. As we say this prayer, let us examine our own consciences to see how we can more closely imitate the family relations that God has toward His beloved, all of us.
Let us pray
That we may consider the word more closely when we say the Our Father
That we may appreciate our role as His Beloved in our relationship with God
That we may appreciate more fully the relationship of others with God
That we may incorporate into our actions the love that God has for us all
