our vanity and pride. Let the abundance of her charity cover the multitude of our sins, and her glorious fruitfulness obtain for us fruitfulness in merits. Now we beseech thee, through her, first, that
Hallowed be thy name.
For thou art great, O Lord, and exceedingly to be praised; but praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.[1] Therefore let our want and unworthiness be succoured by the Virgin Mother of God, I mean, thy Mother. For if the truest praise is to be praised by one who is himself an object of praise, what man, or even Angel, would be so well able to sanctify thy Name as thy most holy Mother?
And behold, her soul magnifies the Lord, because thou hast done for her great things, and through her for us, for thou art mighty, and holy is thy Name; that from henceforth all generations may call her blessed. Let this praise and glory of the Mother redound to the Son. And while the whole Church celebrates the name and the wonders of so admirable a Mother, to thy Name, O Jesus, be given the glory, that the rivers may flow to the place from whence they come, and flow again more abundantly.[2]
Thy kingdom come.
O Jesus, Son of David! who of the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Heaven, wert born King of the Jews, to restore us exiles to thy Kingdom, and to be King over us, and shalt reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of thy Kingdom there shall be no end! When it pleased thy royal clemency to visit thy people, from whom it had been so long removed, this Virgin alone was found worthy that her virginal court should be chosen by thee, O King of kings, coming from thy kingly palaces, to be thy throne and first mansion among the sons of men! Let, then, thy Kingdom come to us, to make us co-heirs of which thou enteredst the Virgin’s womb, and emptiedst thyself, taking the form of a servant; in which it was thy Will to suffer insults, injuries, scourging, and finally the death of the Cross, and so to enter into thy glory. Destroy, O King of glory! the kingdom of sin and Satan, and reign in us now by grace, that at length we may reign with thee in glory.
Thy will be done.
Make us, O Lord, promptly and cheerfully to obey thy Will; and this by the example of thy mother, who indeed was agitated by the unwonted spectacle and address of an Angel, but presently yielded herself most readily to thy Will, in saying: Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
