that was not sufficient, he and his wife and his children could be sold as slaves.  The servant, knowing this, fell on his knees and begged his master to be patient with him, and to give him time and he would pay all.  Then his master was moved to pity, granted not only what he asked, but freed him from the debt altogether.  Afterwards when this servant, who had just been forgiven the large sum, was going out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a very small sum of money, and taking hold of him by the throat, demanded payment.  Now, this poor servant, having nothing to give just then, implored his assailant to be patient with him and he would pay all.  But the hard-hearted servant—­though he himself had a little while before asked and obtained the very same favor from his own master—­would not listen to the request or wait longer, but went and had his fellow servant cast into prison till he should pay the debt.  The other servants, seeing how unforgiving this man was who had himself been forgiven, went and told all to their master, and he, being angry at such conduct, had the unforgiving servant brought back and cast into prison.

“And lead us not into temptation.”  “Temptation” means a trial to see whether we will do a thing or not.  Here it means a trial made by some person or thing—­the devil, the world, or our own flesh—­to see whether we will sin or not.  God does not exactly lead us into temptation; but He allows us to fall into it.  He allows others to tempt us.  We can overcome any temptation to sin by the help or grace that God gives us.  Therefore we ask in this petition that God will always give us the grace to overcome the temptation, and that we may not consent to it.  A temptation is not a sin.  It becomes sin only when we are overcome by it.  When we are tempted we are like soldiers fighting a battle:  if the soldiers are conquered by their enemy, they are disgraced; but if they conquer their enemy, they have great glory and great rewards.  So, when we overcome temptations, God gives us a new glory and reward for every victory.

“Deliver us from evil.”  From every kind of evil, and especially the evil of being conquered by our spiritual enemies, and thus falling into sin, and offending God by becoming His enemy ourselves.  It would be a sin to seek temptation, though we have a reward for resisting it when it comes.

“Amen” means, be it so.  May all we have asked be granted just as we have asked it.

THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION

Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee:  blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Next in beauty to the Lord’s Prayer comes this prayer.  It is made up of three parts: 

“Hail, full of grace! the Lord is with thee:  blessed art thou amongst women” was composed by the angel Gabriel, for these are the words he used when he came to tell the Blessed Virgin that she was selected to be the Mother of God (Luke 1:28).  All her people knew that the Redeemer promised from the time of Eve down to the time of the Blessed Virgin was now to be born, and many good women were anxious to be His mother, and they believed the one who would be selected the most blessed and happy of all women.