Thursday, October 31, 2013
591. Why pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? (part 2 continuation)
(Comp 591 repetition) The will of the
Father is that “all men be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). For this Jesus came: to
perfectly fulfill the saving will of his Father. We pray God our Father to
unite our will to that of his Son after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and the saints. We ask that this loving plan be fully realized on earth as it
is already in heaven. It is through prayer that we can discern “what is the
will of God” (Romans 12:2) and have the “steadfastness to do it” (Hebrews
10:36).
“In brief”
(CCC 2860) In the third petition,
we ask our Father to unite our will to that of his Son, so as to fulfill his
plan of salvation in the life of the world.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2824) In Christ, and through his human will, the will
of the Father has been perfectly fulfilled once for all. Jesus said on entering
into this world: "Lo, I have come to do your will, O God" (Heb 10:7;
Ps 40:7). Only Jesus can say: "I always do what is pleasing to him"
(Jn 8:29). In the prayer of his agony, he consents totally to this will:
"not my will, but yours be done" (Lk 22:42; cf. Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38).
For this reason Jesus "gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the
present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Gal 1:4).
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb 10:10).
Reflection
(CCC 2825) "Although he was a Son, [Jesus] learned
obedience through what he suffered" (Heb 5:8). How much more reason have
we sinful creatures to learn obedience - we who in him have become children of
adoption. We ask our Father to unite our will to his Son's, in order to fulfill
his will, his plan of salvation for the life of the world. We are radically incapable
of this, but united with Jesus and with the power of his Holy Spirit, we can
surrender our will to him and decide to choose what his Son has always chosen:
to do what is pleasing to the Father (Cf. Jn 8:29). In committing ourselves to
[Christ], we can become one spirit with him, and thereby accomplish his will,
in such wise that it will be perfect on earth as it is in heaven (Origen, De orat. 26 PG 11, 501B). Consider how
[Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does
not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He commands each of the
faithful who prays to do so universally, for the whole world. For he did not
say "thy will be done in me or in us," but "on earth," the
whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all
vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from
heaven. [IT CONTINUES]
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
591. Why pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? (part 1)
591. Why pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? (part 1)
(Comp 591) The will of the Father is
that “all men be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). For this Jesus came: to perfectly
fulfill the saving will of his Father. We pray God our Father to unite our will
to that of his Son after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.
We ask that this loving plan be fully realized on earth as it is already in
heaven. It is through prayer that we can discern “what is the will of God”
(Romans 12:2) and have the “steadfastness to do it” (Hebrews 10:36).
“In brief”
(CCC 2860) In the third petition,
we ask our Father to unite our will to that of his Son, so as to fulfill his
plan of salvation in the life of the world.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2822) Our Father "desires all men to be saved and
to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:3-4). He "is
forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish" (2 Pet 3:9; cf.
Mt 18:14). His commandment is "that you love one another; even as I have
loved you, that you also love one another" (Jn 13:34; cf. 1 Jn 3; 4; Lk
10:25-37). This commandment summarizes all the others and expresses his entire
will.
Reflection
(CCC 2823) "He has made known to us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ… to gather up
all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also
obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him
who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will" (Eph 1:9-11).
We ask insistently for this loving plan to be fully realized on earth as it is
already in heaven. [IT CONTINUES]
(The question: Why pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? continues)
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? (part 3 continuation)
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? (part 3 continuation)
(Comp 590 repetition) The Church prays
for the final coming of the Kingdom of God through Christ’s return in glory.
The Church prays also that the Kingdom of God increase from now on through
people’s sanctification in the Spirit and through their commitment to the
service of justice and peace in keeping with the Beatitudes. This petition is
the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
“In brief”
(CCC 2859) By the second petition,
the Church looks first to Christ's return and the final coming of the Reign of
God. It also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in the
"today" of our own lives.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2820) By a discernment according to the Spirit,
Christians have to distinguish between the growth of the Reign of God and the
progress of the culture and society in which they are involved. This
distinction is not a separation. Man's vocation to eternal life does not
suppress, but actually reinforces, his duty to put into action in this world
the energies and means received from the Creator to serve justice and peace
(Cf. GS 22; 32; 39; 45; EN 31).
Reflection
(CCC 2821) This petition is taken up and granted in the
prayer of Jesus which is present and
effective in the Eucharist; it bears its fruit in new life in keeping with the
Beatitudes (Cf. Jn 17:17-20; Mt 5:13-16; 6:24; 7:12-13). [END]
(Next question: Why pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? )
Monday, October 28, 2013
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? (part 2 continuation)
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? (part 2 continuation)
(Comp 590 repetition) The Church prays
for the final coming of the Kingdom of God through Christ’s return in glory.
The Church prays also that the Kingdom of God increase from now on through
people’s sanctification in the Spirit and through their commitment to the
service of justice and peace in keeping with the Beatitudes. This petition is
the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
“In brief”
(CCC 2859) By the second petition,
the Church looks first to Christ's return and the final coming of the Reign of
God. It also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in the
"today" of our own lives.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2818) In the Lord's Prayer, "thy kingdom
come" refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through
Christ's return (Cf. Titus 2:13). But, far from distracting the Church from her
mission in this present world, this desire commits her to it all the more
strongly. Since Pentecost, the coming of that Reign is the work of the Spirit
of the Lord who "complete[s] his work on earth and brings us the fullness
of grace" (Roman Missal,
Eucharistic Prayer IV, 118).
Reflection
(CCC 2819) "The kingdom of God [is] righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). The end-time in which we
live is the age of the outpouring of the Spirit. Ever since Pentecost, a
decisive battle has been joined between "the flesh" and the Spirit
(Cf. Gal 5:16-25). Only a pure soul can boldly say: "Thy kingdom
come." One who has heard Paul say, "Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal bodies," and has purified himself in action, thought, and word
will say to God: "Thy kingdom come!" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. myst. 5, 13: PG 33, 1120A; cf.
Rom 6:12). [IT CONTINUES]
(The question: What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? continues)
Sunday, October 27, 2013
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? (part 1)
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? (part 1)
(Comp 590) The Church prays for the
final coming of the Kingdom of God through Christ’s return in glory. The Church
prays also that the Kingdom of God increase from now on through people’s
sanctification in the Spirit and through their commitment to the service of
justice and peace in keeping with the Beatitudes. This petition is the cry of
the Spirit and the Bride: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
“In brief”
(CCC 2859) By the second petition,
the Church looks first to Christ's return and the final coming of the Reign of
God. It also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in the
"today" of our own lives. 2859
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2816) In the New Testament, the word basileia can be translated by
"kingship" (abstract noun), "kingdom" (concrete noun) or
"reign" (action noun). The Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is
brought near in the Word incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole
Gospel, and it has come in Christ's death and Resurrection. The Kingdom of God
has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our
midst. The kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father:
It may even be… that the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily
desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as
he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as
the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign (St. Cyprian, De Dom. orat. 13 PL 4, 528A).
Reflection
(CCC 2817) This petition is "Marana tha," the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: "Come,
Lord Jesus." Even if it had not been prescribed to pray for the coming of
the kingdom, we would willingly have brought forth this speech, eager to
embrace our hope. In indignation the souls of the martyrs under the altar cry
out to the Lord: "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you
judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" For their
retribution is ordained for the end of the world. Indeed as soon as possible,
Lord, may your kingdom come! (Tertullian, De
orat. 5: PL 1, 1159A; cf. Heb 4:11; Rev 6:9; 22:20). [IT CONTINUES]
(The question: What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”? continues)
Saturday, October 26, 2013
589. How is the Name of God made holy in us and in the world?
589. How is the Name of God made holy in us and in the world?
(Comp 589) To make holy the Name of God,
who calls us “to holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7) is to desire that our
baptismal consecration animate our whole life. In addition, it is to ask –with
our lives and our prayers – that the Name of God be known and blessed by every
man.
“In brief”
(CCC 2815) This petition embodies all the others. Like the
six petitions that follow, it is fulfilled by the prayer of Christ. Prayer to our Father is our prayer, if it is
prayed in the name of Jesus (Cf. Jn
14:13; 15:16; 16:24, 26). In his priestly prayer, Jesus asks: "Holy
Father, protect in your name those whom you have given me" (Jn 17:11).
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2813) In the waters of Baptism, we have been
"washed … sanctified … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and
in the Spirit of our God" (2 Cor 6:11). Our Father calls us to holiness in
the whole of our life, and since "he is the source of [our] life in Christ
Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and … sanctification" (1 Cor
1:30; cf. 1 Thess 4:7) both his glory and our life depend on the hallowing of
his name in us and by us. Such is the urgency of our first petition. By whom is
God hallowed, since he is the one who hallows? But since he said, "You
shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy," we seek and ask that we who
were sanctified in Baptism may persevere in what we have begun to be. And we
ask this daily, for we need sanctification daily, so that we who fail daily may
cleanse away our sins by being sanctified continually.... We pray that this
sanctification may remain in us (St. Cyprian, De Dom. orat. 12: PL 4, 527A; Lev 20:26).
Reflection
(CCC 2814) The sanctification of his name among the nations
depends inseparably on our life and
our prayer: We ask God to hallow his
name, which by its own holiness saves and makes holy all creation .... It is
this name that gives salvation to a lost world. But we ask that this name of
God should be hallowed in us through our actions. For God's name is blessed
when we live well, but is blasphemed when we live wickedly. As the Apostle
says: "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of
you." We ask then that, just as the name of God is holy, so we may obtain
his holiness in our souls (St. Peter Chrysologus, Sermo 71, 4: PL 52:402A; cf. Rom 2:24; Ezek 36:20-22). When we say
"hallowed be thy name," we ask that it should be hallowed in us, who
are in him; but also in others whom God's grace still awaits, that we may obey
the precept that obliges us to pray for everyone, even our enemies. That is why
we do not say expressly "hallowed be thy name 'in us,"' for we ask
that it be so in all men (Tertullian, De
orat. 3: PL 1:1157A).
(Next question: What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”?)
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