1. In time of temptation and other urgent 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 particularly pray in the Church? 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 ar 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.

§ 1. On 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?

6

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 child-like 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: 6 Watch ye and pray that t ye enter not into temptation' (Matt. xxvi. 41).

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 reverential attention, remembering that we have received it from our Divine Redeemer Himself.

§ 2. On the Angelical Salutation.

49. What prayer do Catholics usually say after the Our Father?

The prayer which is said in honor of the Mother of God, and is called the Angelical Salutation, or Hail Mary.

50. Why do we add the Angelical Salutation to the Lord's Prayer?

That the Most Blessed Mother of God may second our weak prayer by her powerful intercession with her Divine Son.

51. How many parts has the Hail Mary?

Two parts: A Prayer of Praise and a Prayer of Petition.

52. Of what is the Prayer of Praise composed ? 1. Of the words of the Archangel Gabriel: Hail [Mary], full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women'; and

2. Of the words of St. Elizabeth: 'And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,' to which we add the name of Jesus.

'Hail' is a term of salutation, equivalent to Ave or' Salve,' and means Be well,' Health to thee,' or 'I salute thee' (The Transl.)

53. When did the Archangel Gabriel speak those words?

When he announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would become the Mother of God (Luke i. 28).

54. When were the above words spoken by St. Elizabeth?