ness, all intent on doing Him honor, and at the same time conscious of our own littleness; that in this mighty universe and amid the millions of angels and of men, past, present, and to come, we are indeed as a grain of dust or ashes. God hears the humble publican's prayer, but that of the proud Pharisee He rejects. The second part of prayer is study, that is, an effort of the imagination to bring before us vividly the person to whom our prayer is made. All prayers, even those directed to the holy souls, the blessed, the angels, or their Queen, should ultimately be addressed to God, for the answer, though it come through them, must come from Him. In this effort, the imagination is powerfully assisted by the study of Scripture, especially the Gospels. We thus become so conversant with the Saviour in every incident of His birth, life, Passion, death, and Resurrection, that in an instant by a simple act of our will we can easily place ourselves before Him as He appeared at that particular portion of His earthly career which most strongly appeals to us. This " composition of place," as St. Ignatius calls it, is the strongest known safeguard against distraction* in prayer. Prayer's third element is thought or reflection, and for this third part no set rules can be assigned, for it will vary according to the present bent of each. So rich is the personality of Our Saviour, that in His life we find a parallel for our every temptation, want, trial, and affliction, and by comparing our little crosses with the cruel weight of His we learn patience and resignation to God's will; and His
