2. Because that which we ask for is prejudicial to our salvation; or

3. Because we do not persevere in praying; therefore we must also pray with resignation to the will of God, and perseverance.

18. When do we pray 'with resignation to the will of God'?

When we leave it entirely to Him to hear us when and how He thinks proper.

'Father, not my will, but Thine be done’(Luke xxii. 42). 19. When do we pray 'with perseverance'?

When we do not desist, although we are not aware of being heard, but continue to pray the more fervently. Example of the woman of Chanaan (Matt. xv.); parable of the friend who asks for three loaves (Luke xi. 5-10).

§ 2. Meditation.

20. Must we always use a set form of words in our prayers?

No; this may be done in Vocal Prayer; but there is also an Interior or Mental Prayer, called Meditation. 21. In what does 'Meditation' consist?

It consists in reflecting upon the life and sufferings of Jesus, upon the Divine Perfections, or other truths of our religion, in order to excite in our hearts pious sentiments, and especially good and efficacious resolutions.

22. When ought we to pray?

Christ says, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint' (Luke xviii. 1).

23. How is it possible to pray always?

We pray always when we frequently raise up our minds and hearts to God, and offer up to Him all our labors, sufferings, and pleasures. Yet at certain times we are to pray in an especial manner.

24. When are we thus especially to pray?

1. In time of temptation and other pressing need, and

during private and public calamities; 2. In the morning and at night; before and after meals; when the Angelus bell rings; and when we are in the Church.

25. Why should we pray in the Church especially? Because the Church is especially the house of God and of prayer, where all that we see and hear is intended to raise our minds and hearts to the meditation on Divine things.

26. For whom must we pray?

We must pray for all men: for the living and the dead; for friends and enemies; especially for our parents, brothers and sisters, benefactors, spiritual and temporal Superiors, and also for heretics and infidels.

'I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in high station, that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity' (1 Tim. ii. 1, 2).

Application. Consider how happy you are that you, a miserable worm of the earth, are allowed to speak to God, the Most High, as a child speaks to his father. Pray, therefore, often and willingly, and always with as much devotion as you possibly can, both at home and in the Church.

§3. The Lord's Prayer.

27. Which is the most excellent of all prayers? The most excellent of all prayers is the Our Father, or the Lord's Prayer.

28. Why is the 'Our Father' called the 'Lord's Prayer'? Because Christ our Lord has taught it to us, and commanded us to say it (Matt. vi. 9-13).

29. What does the Lord's Prayer contain?

It contains a short Preface and Seven Petitions.

30. What do you call its 'Preface'?

These words: 'Our Father who art in Heaven.'

31. What does the 'Father' remind us of?

That God is our Father, so good and so worthy of veneration that there is no earthly father like Him; and that we, therefore, ought to pray to Him with a childlike reverence, love, and confidence.

32. Why do we say 'our' Father, and not 'my' Father? Because, God being the Father of all men, we are all His children, and should therefore love one another as brothers, and pray for one another (Mal. ii. 10).

33. Why do we add these words: 'Who art in

Heaven'?

To call to our mind,

1. That God, though He is everywhere, dwells especially in Heaven, where we shall one day see Him face to face (1 Cor. xiii. 12);

2. That we are but pilgrims upon earth, and that our true country is in Heaven; and

3. That when we pray, we must detach our hearts from all earthly things, and raise them up to Heaven.

34. What do we ask for in the 'First' Petition: 'Hallowed be Thy name'?

That the name of God may never be profaned or blasphemed, but that God may be rightly known, loved, and honored by us and by all men.

35. Why is this the 'First' Petition?

Because we are to esteem the honor and glory of God more than all things else.

36. What do we ask for in the 'Second' Petition: 'Thy Kingdom come'?

1. That the kingdom of God, the Church, may be more and more extended upon earth;

2. That the kingdom of divine grace and love may now be established in our hearts, in order that,

3. After this life, we may all be admitted into the kingdom of Heaven.

37. What is the meaning of the 'Third' Petition: 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven'?

1. We ask that we and all men may do the will of God on earth as faithfully and cheerfully as the Angels and Saints do it in Heaven; and

2. We profess that, in all things, we submit ourselves to the holy will of God.

38. What do we ask for in the 'Fourth' Petition: 'Give us this day our daily bread'?

We ask that God would give us all that is daily necessary for our soul and body.

39. Why does Christ bid us ask for our 'daily' bread only?

To teach us that we should wish only for necessaries, not for riches and abundance.

'Having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content' (1 Tim. vi. 8).

40. What do we ask for in the 'Fifth' Petition: 'Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us'?

That God would so forgive us all our sins as we forgive others who have offended us.

41. May those who do not forgive expect forgiveness themselves?

No; on the contrary, they pass judgment upon themselves as often as they say the Our Father.

'Forgive thy neighbor if he hath hurt thee; and then shall thy sins be forgiven to thee when thou prayest' (Ecclus. xxviii. 2).

42. What do we ask for in the 'Sixth' Petition: 'Lead us not into temptation'?

We ask that God would remove from us all temptations and all the dangers of sin, or, at least, give us grace sufficient to resist them.

43. By whom are we tempted to sin?

1. By our own Flesh or Concupiscence; for the flesh lusteth against the spirit' (Gal. v. 17);

2. By the World-i.e., by its vain pomps, bad`examples, and wicked maxims; and

3. By the Devil, 'who, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour' (1 Pet. v. 8).

44. Why does God permit us to be tempted?

1. To keep us humble;

2. To try our faithfulness or to punish our unfaithfulness; and

3. To increase our zeal for virtue, and our merits. 1. 'Lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me, there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me " (2 Cor. xii. 7). 2. 'The Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, or no' (Deut. xiii. 3). 'Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him' (James i. 12).

45. Is temptation in itself a sin?

Temptation in itself is not a sin; but to expose ourselves heedlessly to temptation, or to yield to it, is a sin. For our consolation and instruction, Christ Himself allowed the Devil to tempt Him (Matt. iv.).

46. What must we do in order that we may not yield? We must especially watch and pray, as Christ our Lord says: Watch ye and pray that ye enter not into temptation' (Matt. xxvi. 41).

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47. What do we ask for in the 'Seventh' Petition: 'But deliver us from evil'?

That God would preserve us from all evil of soul and body, especially from sin and eternal damnation.

48. Why do we add the word 'Amen,' or 'So be it'? To express by it our ardent desire, and also our confidence, of being heard.

Application. Always say the Lord's Prayer with rev