'And forgive us our debts'  (Matthew 6: 12)

as we feed on the bread our Father gives us, we become more conscious of our faults, for His bread is love, and love opens our eyes. And with open eyes we pray ' Forgive us our debts.'

Our Father loves to forgive. And if we love Him we shall love to forgive also.

What are our debts? The answer is found from our knowledge of the first great commandment ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.' It is our love we owe our Father, not part of our love, but all of it; in so far as we do not give Him our love, we are in debt to Him. ' If ye love me,' we read, ' ye will keep my commandments.'

To love our Father means to love His qualities, His goodness, His wisdom, and His providence. It means to love Him in His Word, in His teaching and the revelation of Himself in Divine Human form.

Without our Father we can do nothing. All the life we have is from Him, and all our peace and happiness. In our Father's home there is enough and to spare. And all He asks of us is our love. When we withhold it we are in debt. It is the love of self that robs Him of our love, and piles up our debts.

If we ask our Father to forgive us, He will. But we will only be able to accept the forgiving, and be happy about it, in so far as we forgive, and pay our debts. But all our debts are summed up in the love we owe to Him and our neighbour.

'Father I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son ' (Luke 15, 21)