Judgment, repentance, and the Fatherhood of God—today’s readings hold these together with striking clarity. In Second Clement (Chapters 16–20), we are reminded that the day of the Lord comes like a burning oven (Malachi 4:1). Hidden works will be revealed, and present delay is not indifference but mercy. Almsgiving, love, and repentance are not small matters; they prepare us for resurrection and glory. Augustine, in Confessions 5.10 (18), exposes the deeper danger: sin becomes most incurable when we deny that it is ours. His pride preferred blaming another “nature” rather than confessing, “I have sinned against You” (Psalm 41:4). True healing begins where self-excuse ends. Aquinas, in Summa Theologica I, Question 33 (Articles 1–4), lifts our eyes to the eternal mystery behind our salvation. “Father” is not sentimental l ...