Our Lord instructs us to address God as "Our Father," not as "My Father," because our highest right to sonship comes to us through Jesus Christ. He, alone, has an eternal and unalienable right to be called the "Son of God." He, alone, is the Son of God by nature. We are only sons by adoption. It is because God has sent the spirit of His Son into our hearts, that we can call him, "Abba, Father." This is why Christ says to His Apostles before the Ascension: "I ascend to My Father, and your Father." Make acts of gratitude that you, though so unworthy, have been adopted as the son of God.

We are further taught by the phrase, "Our Father", that we are all brethren in Jesus Christ, sons of one common Father, members of one family. If all are our brethren, we must treat them as such. Every one in the world, however vicious, degraded, or disagreeable, however unkind or hostile to us, is our brother, because Christ died for him, has redeemed him with His Precious Blood, and identifies Himself with him, saying: "Whatever you do to him, I, your Lord and Saviour, count as done to Me." What a splendid motive for charity is this!

But above all, those who are united to us as members of the Catholic Church are our brethren in Jesus Christ. They are our brethren on a fresh ground, being members of His mystical Body. They are of our flesh and our bone. We ought to show very special charity to Catholics; they have a claim on us that others have not. They, and they only, belong to that sacred family of which Jesus Christ is the Head.