"Thy Will Be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven"

The following is the fifth of twelve monthly reflections about the phrases of the “Lord’s Prayer” and what they tell us about family life.

           

            One of the more famous stories of St. Francis of Assisi is his vision of Christ at the ruins of the San Damiano church.  The building, falling into disrepair, was hardly reflective of the reverence and attention due a sacred space.  While deep in prayer, Francis saw a vision of Jesus instructing him to “rebuild my church.”  At first, Francis took this literally to mean restoring the church on site, but over time, he realized that Jesus meant the broader, universal Church.  Francis, ready to submit fully to God’s will, did so and allowed this rebuilding to be accomplished through his life and witness.

            I once had the privileged opportunity to visit San Damiano and the rest of Assisi.  It was at a time in my life when I was very seriously discerning God’s will for me.  It was first a challenge to know God’s will since I, unlike Francis, did not have any visions of Christ with instructions!  Even if I managed to discover God’s will, I wondered if I would have the courage to follow it.

             This twofold challenge is part of every person’s life.  God’s will does not always come to us clearly, and once it becomes evident, we can find ourselves looking for different answers.  For instance, we celebrate now in the Easter season, when all of Jesus’ suffering, pain, and death make more sense in light of the Resurrection.  Yet it was not so long ago when we sat with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as he wondered and prayed aloud to his Father if this was indeed the best way.  We watched in agony with Mary and the beloved disciple as Jesus breathed his last, and we felt the defeat, albeit temporary, of death as the remnant of Christ’s followers laid his body in a tomb.  God’s will felt very hard to follow in these moments.  We, too, each have our own Calvary where we question the wisdom of God’s will and our decision to follow it.

            To believe is to trust, and even when the answers to God’s will take more than three days to come if they come at all, we take on the humble perspective that God is in control.  It behooves us to relinquish our need to control or even oppose.  This was the mistake of Lucifer and the other fallen angels.  They championed their own power and authority over that of God, and the results of this were nothing short of disastrous.  Instead, we follow Christ, who humbly submitted to the point of humiliation and death but who then was raised up to eternal life and glory.

            What is getting in the way of discovering God’s will in our lives, relationships, and families?  I sometimes find I get myself so wrapped up in my daily responsibilities, to-do lists, and calendar appointments that I have not made time for prayer or contemplation.  Other days I am so ensnared in an emotional conflict with a loved one that I neglect to even seek God in the process.  Whatever the reasons, we would do well to set them aside and focus on finding God’s will.  Only then will our lives have the purpose we so desperately seek.

            Perhaps we have found God’s will but are having difficulty following it for a particular reason.  The sacrifice could seem too great or the consequences overly drastic.  It makes me wonder about the opportunities I have missed because of my delays in this regard.  One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is courage, and it aids us in moments like these when the cost seems too high.  In reality, the cost of not following God’s will is much higher as we risk languishing without direction for years, a lifetime, or eternity.  God’s will is a gift that illuminates the way, and our cooperation, coupled with divine grace, produces results beyond our vision or understanding.

            I was able to spend an entire day in Assisi during my trip, and I prayed a daylong rosary at each of the city’s holy sites, including San Damiano.  My final decade was partway up a mountain, overlooking the city and the lush, green valley beyond.  It was up there that I realized not all of the answers would come that day, but I had enough to press on to tomorrow.  And if my brief hike up that path supplied such a fresh and peace-filled perspective, imagine what the view from heaven must provide.