the hearts of all men by His grace in this life, and that we and all men
may attain our eternal salvation, and thus be brought to reign forever
with God in Heaven--the kingdom of His glory. As the Church on earth is
frequently called the kingdom of Christ, and as all the labors of the
Church are directed to the salvation of souls, we pray also in this
petition that the Church may be extended upon earth, that the true
religion may be spread over the whole world, that all men may know and
serve the true God and cheerfully obey His holy laws; that the devil may
have no dominion over them. While saying this petition we may have it in
our minds to pray even for particular ways in which the true religion
can be spread; for example, by praying that the missionaries may meet
with success and all the missions prosper; that priests and bishops may
be ordained to preach the Gospel; that the Church may overcome all her
enemies everywhere, and the true religion triumph.

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." In Heaven all the angels
and saints obey God perfectly; they never offend Him; so we pray that it
may be on earth as it is in Heaven, all men doing God's will, observing
His laws and the laws of His Church, and living without sin.

"Give us this day our daily bread." In this petition "bread" means not
merely bread, but everything we need for our daily lives; such as food,
clothing, light, heat, air, and the like; also food for the soul, i.e.,
grace. If a beggar told you that he had not tasted bread for the whole
day, you would never think of asking him if he had eaten any cake,
because you would understand by his word bread all kinds of food. We say
"daily," to teach us not to be greedy or too careful about ourselves,
and not to ask for unnecessary things, but to pray for what we need for
our present wants.