The first petition of the Our Father asks for that which is important beyond all else in the world. That honor paid to God be by all things according to their degree, is the end for which the world was created. But above all other honor, in its dignity and value, is the honor paid to God by the rational service of man. When therefore we pray: "Hallowed be Thy Name," what we ask for is that all men may serve, love, and fear Almighty God, and so fulfil the purpose of God.

But the honour paid to God is not only all- important in itself, it is also all-important to us. No man can be truly happy unless he hallows the Name of God by paying to Him the reverence that is His due. Without this our lives must be a failure. We cannot really succeed unless we sanctify our actions by doing them for the glory of God, and from a supernatural motive. Nothing can satisfy man except God; no work can prosper in the end unless it be consecrated to Him.

What do we mean by hallowing the Name of God? The name of Him, who has dominion over others, signifies his authority. The Apostles worked miracles and taught in the Name of Jesus, i.e. by authority derived from Him. We offer all our prayers in His Name. What we pray for in the words, "Hallowed be Thy Name," is that the authority of God may everywhere be acknowledged, that all may submit to the authority of the Church which is invested with His Divine authority. Do I recognise and rejoice in the Divine authority of the Church as my teacher speaking in Christ's Name?