Attaining Heaven Depends on Fidelity to God’s Will
The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer asks of Almighty God: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matt. 6:10). St. John Chrysostom connects whether we will ultimately enter the Kingdom of God to our fidelity to God’s holy will, illustrating how this petition logically follows from the preceding one:
“Those who desire to arrive at the kingdom of Heaven must endeavor so to order their life and conversation as if they were already conversing in Heaven. This petition is also to be understood for the accomplishment of the divine will in every part of the world, for the extirpation of error, and explosion of vice, that truth and virtue may everywhere obtain, and Heaven and earth differ no more in honoring the supreme majesty of God.”
While most of mankind at least passively hopes for a blessed and peaceful eternity, it is no surprise that man is often rebellious to the will of God and often neglects the means made readily available for his salvation. As The Catechism of St. Pius X reminds us with clarity, our salvation depends on our fidelity to the will of God: “It is as necessary to do the will of God as it is to work out our salvation, because Jesus Christ has said that they alone who have done the will of His Father shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
An excellent resource on this subject is a short treatise by St. Alphonsus Liguori called Uniformity with God’s Will (a copy is published by TAN; you can also find an online PDF version here). In this work, St. Alphonsus teaches that we should not just seek to conform our will to God’s will, but that Christian perfection is found in the degree to which our own will comes into uniformity with God’s will. Thus, this third petition of the Our Father is absolutely crucial to our sanctification and ultimate glorification.
God’s Positive Will
When we pray these words, “Thy will be done,” what are we asking God to accomplish? To what does His will refer, specifically? Foreseeing the need for the faithful to understand this petition, the Roman Catechism insightfully teaches what few other catechisms do: “…we shall content ourselves with saying that by the will of God is here meant that will which is commonly called the will of sign; that is to say, whatever God has commanded or counselled us to do or to avoid.”
For example, we know that the Ten Commandments are absolute moral laws, and that God wants them to always be kept. We also know God wants us to fulfill our duty well as per our state in life (priest, religious, husband/father, mother/wife, child, etc.). The Church also has six precepts which all Catholics should keep. When Sister Lucia of Fatima asked Our Lord what penances we should be doing, Our Lord replied that it was enough for each person to keep God’s laws and adhere to the duties of state.
In this age, which we commonly refer to as Fatima Time, we also know that Our Lady has revealed God’s positive commands and counsels. Heaven asks us to pray the Rosary every day, to wear the Brown Scapular faithfully, to offer prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners and salvation of souls, to practice the First Saturdays devotion to offer reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. God calls the hierarchy to promote this First Saturdays devotion and has commanded the Pope, in union with all the Catholic bishops of the world, to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
God wills to grant the world peace and to save many souls, but He has chosen to do so in these latter times through devotion to His Mother’s Immaculate Heart, our sure refuge and the way that shall lead us to God. The Message of Fatima has been authenticated by great miracles and received every local bishop’s approval and every Pope’s approval since its official acceptance by Church authority in 1930. Thus, we know for certain that it contains God’s will.
Ways We Pray for God’s Will to Be Done
How can we do anything to bring about the accomplishment of the will of God, Who is the Creator and Master of all of creation? First and foremost, we ask that we may fulfill what God desires of us. The Catechism of St. Pius X further explains, in a straight-to-the-point manner, the various ways in which the faithful are called to accomplish the will of God in day-to-day life:
“We can know the will of God especially by means of the Church and of the spiritual superiors appointed by God to guide us along the way of salvation; we may also learn His most holy will from the divine inspirations that come to us and from the very surroundings in which the Lord has placed us.”
Secondly, we ask through this petition that we do not yield to any inordinate desires and thus remain steadfast against the works of the flesh. Thirdly, and rather profoundly, the petition that God’s will “be done” asks Almighty God to not grant our mistaken requests.
Lastly, and naturally following from the previous three, we also ask that our good requests be granted only when they are according to God’s will, that God may perfect in us what His grace has begun, and that the whole world may know and obey God’s will. The Catechism of St. Pius X again concisely summarizes the Church’s teaching in the Roman Catechism by affirming: “Both in prosperity and adversity we should always recognize the will of God, Who directs or permits all things for our good.”
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
Our Lord inserted the words “as it is in Heaven” for a real purpose, and yet, few pause to reflect on how our Father’s will is done in Heaven. What does this mean and what can we learn from these holy words to bring about the accomplishment of God’s will on earth?
St. Augustine remarked for our edification that these words should stir up the virtue of obedience in our own wills: “When we say: Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, we are asking Him to make us obedient so that His will may be done in us as it is done in Heaven by His angels.” With a clear conscience we should pray this petition, affirming our own desire to remain obedient to the Church’s enduring and unalterable teaching on faith and morals while also asking our own guardian angel to guard and guide us each and every day towards eternity.
And lastly, the final sentiment expressed by the phrase “on earth as it is in Heaven” expresses a subtle but real act of thanksgiving.
Conclusion
There are three dispositions necessary for this Petition. First, we should pray that God’s holy will be done with a sense of our own weakness of will. Second, we must have an appreciation for the dignity that comes from participating in God’s work. And lastly, we must have a trusting resignation to the will of God so that we may truly say, “Thy will be done,” regardless of what transpires, as The Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches:
“Finally, the faithful are to be admonished to acquiesce in the simple and absolute will of God. Let him, who thinks that he occupies a place in society inferior to his deserts, bear his lot with patient resignation; let him not abandon his proper sphere, but abide in the vocation to which he has been called. Let him subject his own judgment to the will of God, Who provides better for our interests than we can even desire ourselves…”
The next time you pray the Lord’s Prayer, pause to reflect on these sentiments, acts, and dispositions all contained in the simple words, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”