“only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven”
When we pray the Lords Prayer, we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”. Today’s readings stress upon following that will of the Father. Jesus said that only the ones who follow through with the will of God will be able to enter into heaven.
Why should we ask for God’s will to be done? From the beginning of time, God had placed within all his creatures the desire to pursue happiness; the true happiness that can only be attained by seeking God who is the creator of everything including happiness. However, due to original sin, man soon looked inwardly or to things other than God, which in turn, left us unfulfilled, unjoyful, and unhappy. We are more prone to “anger, hatred, pride, ambition, and to almost every species of evil.” [1]
What makes matters even worse is how we are continually blinded by these evils. We see them as good. Sin never appears as something bad when first seduced by it. It is inviting and looks pleasing at first, so we run head first into it without thinking. This is where the sin will blow its storms into our souls, and only those with solid foundation can repent and see the error of their ways.
How do we resist these evils? By realizing our rebellion against God and calling out to Him, we follow His will instead of our own. Only then will we begin to be able to resist the temptations of this world. How can we conform our will to God’s will?
What does it mean when we say “Thy Will”? It’s simply surrendering ourselves to the will of God. Whatever God has commanded or counseled us to do or to avoid in our lives, we must be ready and willing. Share a time when you have followed the will of God. Why should we ask for God’s Will? By asking for God’s will, we are asking for everything that is truth, joy, and good. When we ask for the will of the Father, we are asking for Heaven, which should always be in the forefront of our hearts, minds, and souls.
We have been given a soul, which enables us to think (reason) and act (will). Saint Bonaventure says that free will is the second greatest power in the universe. God is the first. What power we have been given to act, to will something. We can either use our will for God, or we can use our will for self. In whose hands will we place the greatest power we own; in our hands, the hands of men, or the hands of God?
The third petition of the Our Father is “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We ask that all the people on earth may do the will of God as the angels and saints do it in Heaven. We also ask for the grace to submit ourselves, always and in all things, to the holy will of God. How is the divine will being done in Heaven? It is being done by everyone without exception. It is being done spontaneously, without reluctance or reservation. It is being done selflessly in giving oneself entirely to God without bargaining with Him. It is being done without envy or jealousy. And above all, it is being done in Heaven enjoyably. In Heaven, everyone enjoys doing God’s will and, in fact, that is what the beatitude of Heaven is all about: sheer joy in doing the will of God. [2]
If God’s will is perfect and even enjoyable, why do we fear what is perfect and enjoyable? We fear because we have not been told that God’s will is enjoyable. God’s will is many times presented as burdensome, boring, and no fun. We don’t like to give over completely to God’s will because we like to make the exceptions; we like to have control. We lack the trust to be spontaneous and without reservation when it comes to God. Many times we are reckless and adventurous when it comes to our own will, or even the will of our friends, but when it comes to God’s will, we want to think about it. We bargain with God and many times tell God that we will do His will if He will do ours, in other words give us a reward. We only have to surrender to the will of God to begin to see that God’s will is perfect and enjoyable. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the founder of Catholic schools in America and as a powerful authority figure, had to make important decisions affecting herself and others. One time, in the midst of a difficult decision, her sisters asked her what they should do. Saint Elizabeth responded, “I propose that we do the will of God, how He wills it to be done and when He wills it to be done.” It is not enough to do the will of God, but we must also do it in the manner and time in which God wishes.
What do we want done from God when we say, “be done”? We are asking for God’s will to be accomplished here in this world. Even when more and more of our world shuts God out, we beg him to continue to show mercy and grace upon the whole world and us. Also, for us personally, we ask for the strength to do His will, and that when we die, we can say the words Christ said on the cross, “it is finished” [3]. Meaning, all that God asked Him to do, Christ did it, and we should strive for that too.
By following His will and letting it be done here on earth, we also express our disdain for sins of the flesh, namely “fornication (sex before marriage), uncleanness, immodesty, lust, etc.” [4] By living the will of God, we stand on firm rock to withstand the temptations of the sins of the flesh, and by doing so, we gain eternal life. As St. Paul wrote, “If you live according to the flesh you shall die.” [5] It’s simple; you live the will of the Father, you have life, and if you live for the will of the flesh, you die.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit include wisdom and knowledge. Saint Thomas Aquinas connects these two gifts specifically with the third petition of the Our Father [6], “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We pray this petition in the Our Father and it is the Holy Spirit, through these gifts, that enables us to believe what we pray. Ultimately, it is also these gifts that enable us to live out what we believe about this prayer.
What are the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, and how do they connect to “Thy will be done”?We receive the gift of wisdom to give us a relish for the things of God and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory. [7] All our actions are our will; through this gift, we direct our will and place it in the hands of God. We receive the gift of knowledge to enable us to discover the will of God in all things. [8] We not only begin to see or discover the will of God in our lives, but we also discover that God’s will is perfect and enjoyable. Once we have knowledge that God’s will is perfect and enjoyable, we begin to have more of a desire to do the holy will of God and live out “Thy will be done.”
The ultimate goal is to have our will and God’s will unite, until there is only one will and one action. This is the reality of what we see in the person of Christ. Jesus has two natures, a human nature and a divine nature. He is a who, with a what, what. Who is He? Jesus. What is He? Human. What is He? Divine. What does this mean? It means that He has a divine will (the will of God) and a human will (just like us). The difference is that is Jesus’ human and divine will are one, just as the human and divine natures are one. This is our goal. This is how we most perfectly imitate Christ; to have our human nature be one with God. To have our will be one with the will of God. To live out “Thy will be done” is to perfectly imitate the person of Christ. This union of the human and divine natures of Jesus is called the Hypostatic Union. At the Council of Chalcedon, (451 AD) the Church declared that the two natures of Christ are joined “in one person and one hypostasis”, where hypostasis means one substance. This declaration from the Council of Chalcedon was a statement from the Bishops of the Church against heretics and false teachings. The Church clearly stated that the union of the two natures is real (against Arius), no mere indwelling of God in a man (against Nestorius), with a rational soul (against Apollinaris), and the divinity remains unchanged (against Eutyches). [9] What does this mean? Jesus really had two natures; 100% man and 100% God. Jesus was not just God taking over a human body. Jesus had a human soul and a human will that was not taken over by His divine will, but united to it. Jesus’ divinity was not changed by His humanity.
[1] The Catechism of Trent pg. 350
[2] Fr. John Hardon, Basic Catholic Catechism Course, page 129-130
[3] John 19:30
[4] Gal. 5:13
[5] Romans 8:13
[6] The Catechetical Instructions of Saint Thomas Aquinas; The Lord’s Prayer
[7] Baltimore Catechism No. 3; Question 707
[8] Baltimore Catechism No. 3; Question 702
[9] Fr. John Hardon; Modern Catholic Dictionary; page 262