Revolution of Love.com
Thy Will Be Done
by Brian
Each time we pray the Our Father, the most perfect prayer, we say, "Thy Will be done". At times I wonder whether most Catholics, including myself, realize what we are actually praying for when reciting this phrase.
The phrase "Thy Will be done" reminds me of the first sorrowful mystery of the holy Rosary. Jesus, while in the garden of Gethsemane, prays to His Father saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done"(Lk. 22:42). This is a perfect example of abandonment.
Another example that comes to mind is the first joyful mystery of the Rosary, the Annunciation. When Our Lady said to the archangel Gabriel, "May it be done to me according to your word,"(Lk.1:38) she chose God’s Will over her own. Even though Mary’s "yes" to God’s plan of redemption would eventually lead her to Calvary, as it did Jesus, she nevertheless resigned herself to God’s Will and chose to be the Mother of God.
There are also a number of examples from the lives of the saints that beautifully illustrate abandonment to God’s Holy Will. Benedict J. Labre, from an early age desired to be a monk. However, after a number of attempts at monastic life - all of which failed for one reason or another - he abandoned himself to God’s Will and embraced the life of a tramp, or more accurately, a life of a beggar. By accepting God’s Will Benedict found great peace and unlimited joy as he spent over ten years of his life traveling throughout Europe visiting one holy shrine after another.
If you are like me, you probably have a hard time accepting and embracing God’s Will. Of course when the sky is blue and the birds are singing, when everything seems to be falling into place and you think how could life get any better, that is when God’s Will is very easy to accept. But when dark clouds surround you and everything is going wrong and you wish you would have stayed in bed, God’s Will is extremely difficult to accept.
What I have come to realize is that if I truly want to imitate Jesus and Mary I must, like they did, abandon myself to God’s Holy Will. Though I have made some progress in accepting God’s Will and doing my best to conform to it, I still have a long way to go. With God’s grace I pray that one day I may say with all my heart and soul, "Not my will, but Your Will be done, Lord Jesus".
If you are interested, there are several great books on abandonment and resignation to God’s Will. One book in particular that I recommend is Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade. I have read the book several times and have found it to be very enlightening and helpful in understanding the importance of abandoning oneself to Divine Providence, God’s Holy Will.
May the love of Christ be in your soul!