"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against
us." "Trespasses" means here our sins, our offenses against God. When we
trespass we enter places we should not, or where we are forbidden to go.
So when we sin we go where we should not go, viz., out of the path of
virtue that leads to God, and into the way of vice that leads to the
devil.

"As we forgive them." We take this to mean: we forgive others who have
offended us, and for that reason, God, You should forgive us who have
offended You. Our Lord told a beautiful parable, i.e., a story by way of
illustration, to explain this. (Matt. 18:23). A very rich man had a
servant who owed him a large sum of money. One day the master asked the
servant for the money, and the poor servant had none to give. Now the
law of the country was, that when anyone could not pay his debts, all
that he had could be sold and the money given to the one to whom it was
due, and if 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