Nothing can stop God. He is I AM WHO AM (YHWH), Eternal, All-Powerful, the Perfect Good, and Existence Itself. This Most High God has chosen to enter into a covenantal relationship with us, inviting us to become members of the Mystical Body of His Divine Son. This invitation—this New Covenant—elevates us to a glorious participation in God’s life.
Just as nothing can stop God our Father when we fully embrace our identity in Christ—by living the first two petitions of the Lord’s Prayer—nothing can stop us from manifesting God’s glory by fulfilling His Will. Nothing! Hence, nothing can stop us from fulfilling our primary duty in life.
When His Perfect Holiness radiates in and through us, His Kingdom is made present. When His Kingdom is present in time and space, then the subsequent petitions of the Lord’s Prayer become a reality:
- His will is done,
- Our material and spiritual sustenance is provided,
- The debt of sin is eliminated in and through us,
- Every trial is overcome,
- And we are protected from the evil one and his works.
If we want to be unstoppable in our mission of fulfilling God’s perfect will and sharing in the perfect beatitude—the happiness which God alone bestows—we begin by perfecting the first two petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, allowing these highest desires to direct and align every lower desire toward their final end: God and His eternal glory.
This only happens when we allow the passionate desire for God’s glory and the manifestation of His holiness to take hold of our lives and purge every competing desire. This is the greatest and first commandment: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When this pure and holy love is perfected in our whole personhood—mind, will, passions, emotions, desires, and body—then every other good thing follows: We love ourselves in God and our neighbors as ourselves, fulfilling Jesus’ second commandment that summarizes the final five petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.
A Means to an End
It’s important to properly situate this third petition—along with the fourth and fifth petitions as well—as a means to an end, rather than the end itself. As we’ve seen, the end of all prayer is God’s glory and the fulfilment of the coming of His Kingdom. Doing God’s will is a means to that end. In the end, when God’s Kingdom is fully established and His glory is fully manifested for all to see, we will no longer say, “Not my will but Yours be done.” Instead, our only prayer will be to eternally cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!” We will fully possess the will of God as our own in the Beatific Vision and will no longer struggle to fulfill His will: God’s will and ours will be perfectly aligned.
Living this means to an end—fulfilling God’s will—requires us to understand what is truly Good. Too often, even faithful people pray and strive to fulfill God’s will according to what they perceive as good. But is it truly good? Something is only good when it manifests God’s holiness and furthers His Kingdom on earth. Only God defines “Good.” Only God knows how to bring about the greatest good in any given situation.
If we want to be unstoppable in fulfilling God’s perfect will on earth as it is in Heaven, then we must keep our gaze upon the Good that will remain for eternity: God’s glory in His Kingdom. That Good should direct and empower everything we do. Only then is God’s will done on earth as it is in Heaven. The moment we lose our focus on the hallowing of God’s Name and the establishment of His Kingdom, all of our other prayers and actions become misaligned and fail.
Living the Petition
When we honor God and manifest His holiness and glory in our lives—first by making our hearts a chorus of continual praise, crying out, “Holy, holy, holy…”—we begin to be formed into instruments of His divine will. This transformation requires that we shed every movement of our will that is not perfectly aligned with the will of the Father.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), not because He struggled to obey the Father, nor because His human will was opposed to the divine, but because He wished to unite us to Himself in that act of perfect surrender. He gave voice to a rightly ordered human desire, fully submitted to the Father’s will, so that we might learn to pray those same words in and with Him. In doing so, we are drawn into the mystery of redemptive obedience, where love is perfected in sacrifice.
Furthermore, as the Church definitively teaches, Jesus possesses two wills—one divine and one human. Though His human will was always perfectly aligned with His divine will and with the will of His Father, it remained a true human will and therefore needed to be united to the divine through a free and deliberate human act. Naturally speaking, Jesus experienced a genuine human desire to avoid suffering and death. Yet what makes His obedience so glorious is that He freely surrendered even this good and natural inclination to the higher desire of fulfilling the Father’s redemptive plan. In doing so, He not only advanced toward His Sacrificial Offering on the Cross, He also sanctified human freedom, empowering us—through grace—to choose the will of God over all natural inclinations—not only over disordered desires, but even over those that are good and human, such as the desire to avoid pain or preserve one’s life.
For example, when someone we love is seriously ill, how do we pray? Do we ask God for physical healing—assuming that health and longer life are the greatest goods? Or do we pray for God’s will to be done, entrusting ourselves and our loved one completely to His wisdom, knowing that whatever He wills is for His greatest glory and our ultimate good?
Consider the example of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. At the age of twenty-four, Sister Thérèse, a cloistered Carmelite nun, became gravely ill with tuberculosis. Up until that point, she had lived a simple, hidden life—first with her family and then behind the convent walls. Those who loved her likely prayed fervently for her recovery, fearing the worst: that she would die. But was death for Sister Thérèse at the young age of twenty-four truly “the worst”? Or was it, in God’s perfect providence, the best?
At the time, her family and fellow sisters might have assumed that her recovery was the greater good. Today, however, we see clearly that her life ended precisely when it did because her early death fulfilled God’s perfect will and brought about His greatest glory.
Had she recovered and lived many more years, what would have happened? We do not know. But we do know what resulted from her death:
- Her diary, written under obedience to her superior, was published and became one of the most influential spiritual works of all time, inspiring millions worldwide.
- Her soul had reached the fullness of the sanctity for which God had prepared her.
- She now acts as a powerful intercessor in Heaven.
It was as if God, in His perfect foresight and wisdom, saw that His “Little Flower” had reached the moment of her greatest radiance. So He plucked her from this life to blossom eternally in Heaven, where her beauty and holiness would shine forever.
Had she lived longer, perhaps her diary would never have been published. Perhaps her intense spiritual fervor would have waned in later years. Perhaps she would have been lost to history. But God knew.
This is why we must trust God completely. His permissive will allowed the illness that took her life not as a tragedy, but as a triumph—a moment when her soul was perfectly prepared to enter into glory. The prayers that were offered for her recovery were not unanswered; rather, they were answered in the perfect way by God’s providence, which permitted her entrance into Heaven at precisely the right moment—the height of her sanctity.
The ideal prayer that both Thérèse and her sisters could have prayed at the time of her illness was simply this: “Father of ours, may You be glorified in this illness by bringing about the perfection of Your will, by which Your precious Little Flower’s life becomes the source of the greatest good: Your will be done!”
During her canonization process, Thérèse’s sister, Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, testified to the words Thérèse spoke on her deathbed: “Upon my death, I will let fall a shower of roses; I wish to spend my Heaven in doing good upon the earth.”
These dying words reveal her true prayer: She did not ask for physical healing, nor did she resist God’s will or fear earthly death. Instead, she surrendered completely, trusting that her passing would serve God’s perfect plan and bring His grace upon countless souls.
The life of Saint Thérèse beautifully illustrates how we should pray and what we should desire. We must let go of our own wills—including everything we perceive as good based on our limited human understanding—and enter into unwavering trust in God’s will alone. By desiring the highest good expressed in the first two petitions—the glory of God’s name and the coming of His Kingdom—we begin to desire the means to that end: that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Desiring God’s Will Alone
Praying and desiring the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer through the lens of our highest desire is like a river flowing from its source in the mountains, carrying pure, life-giving waters downstream to nourish everything in its path.
Just as a river’s power and direction are determined by its origin, our desire for God’s will to be done on earth flows from the highest source: the hallowing of His Name and the coming of His Kingdom.
If the river loses connection with its source, it dries up or becomes stagnant; likewise, if our pursuit of God’s will becomes disconnected from the perfection of our supreme desire for His holiness and reign, it becomes distorted. Instead of joyful submission to “Thy will be done,” our prayer risks becoming “My will be done.”
Only when our longing for God’s will is properly aligned with our highest desires does it become an unstoppable current, carrying us and all creation toward the fulfillment of His divine purpose.
More Than a Petition: A Resolution
When this “river” flows from God’s glory and the establishment of His Kingdom, and we seek to align ourselves with every concrete and practical implication of His will, then praying for God’s will becomes more than a petition—it becomes a resolution. It is a renewal of our commitment to live fully in the New Covenant of Grace.
When you pray for God’s will, do you tell Him what you want His will to be? Do you believe that if you pray long enough and ask enough people to join you in prayer, that God will change His will to match yours? If so, then you are not praying the Lord’s Prayer as Christ gave it to us. We are trying to manipulate God through the multiplication of requests for our preferences.
To say, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” means that we turn to the Source of grace and desire only what will glorify Him, as His Divine Wisdom best directs the establishment of His Kingdom by the fulfillment of His perfect plan.
From the Greek
Continuing from the earlier petitions, this one also begins with an aorist passive imperative—genēthētō—which means “Let it come to be” or “Let it be accomplished.” The force of the aorist imperative, as previously noted, could be likened to adding three exclamation points to the end of the plea—one for urgency, one for decisiveness, and one for completeness: “Let it be accomplished!!!”
Though the verb is passive, it expresses an active and confident desire that God’s will be fully and perfectly fulfilled. God Himself is the implied agent, the one who brings about the realization of His divine purpose in Heaven and on earth. This is not a passive resignation to fate, but a bold and trusting surrender to the wisdom and goodness of the Father. We do not merely accept whatever happens—we ask, with all our heart, that His will be done urgently, decisively, and completely.
The Greek phrase hōs en ouranō kai epi gēs is literally translated as “as in Heaven, so also on earth.” It expresses a longing that the perfect, joyful obedience given to God in Heaven may become the model for life on earth. In Heaven, God’s will is embraced instantly, without hesitation or resistance. This petition asks that the same obedience take root in our lives and in the world—that the love and order of Heaven may shape all things on earth, beginning with us.
Living and Praying for God’s Will
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus’ commandment in John 13:34—“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another”—“summarizes all the others and expresses His entire will” (CCC #2822). Thus, to know and live God’s will is to love God and others as He has loved us. Jesus not only models that love, He is the very source of it. Living in Him, loving with His love, and laying down our lives sacrificially with Him is the fulfillment of God’s will.
This petition is a prayer for ourselves and a renewal of our commitment to align ourselves with God’s will. It is also a powerful intercession for the entire Church and world. The Catechism makes this point by quoting Saint John Chrysostom, who says:
“For [God] 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” (CCC #2825).
This means that when we pray “Thy will be done,” we pray for God’s will to reign everywhere.
Are Our Prayers Effective?
Are our prayers effective when we pray for God’s will to be done on earth? The Gospel of John answers this: “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does His will, He listens to him” (John 9:31). It is amazing to consider that when we do God’s will, our every prayer is heard and answered. When we become devout—when we align our hearts to His desires—our prayers take on great power.
This is what Jesus revealed to Saint Faustina, saying: “Then will I find in you a pleasing sacrifice, a holocaust full of sweetness and fragrance. And great will be your power for whomever you intercede” (Diary #1767).
When we pray, Thy will be done, we ask more than for God to act, we are committing ourselves to be part of His action. We are entrusting every part of our lives to His providence so that He may work in us, through us, and for us.
Gift of the Holy Spirit: Knowledge
Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas associate “Thy will be done…” with the Gift of Knowledge, one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This divine gift allows us to see all things in relation to God, to recognize His providential order in creation, and to conform our will to His.
The Gift of Knowledge is not human wisdom or intellectual understanding acquired through study or reason. It is a supernatural illumination that elevates the soul, enabling it to:
- Discern the fleeting nature of earthly things.
- Direct all actions toward God’s will.
- See all of creation as part of God’s plan for our sanctification.
- Understand suffering, possessions, and achievements in light of divine purpose.
The Gift of Knowledge helps us to:
- See beyond worldly attachments and recognize them as means to the end of union with God.
- Trust that God’s will is perfect, even when it is difficult, mysterious, or painful.
- Accept that everything God permits is ordered for our ultimate good.
- Grow in faith by recognizing God’s providential hand in every circumstance.
A lack of Knowledge leads to resistance:
- Resistance to God’s will when it is hard to understand.
- Clinging to earthly goods as ends in themselves.
- Fear of sacrifice or suffering.
- Doubt in God’s goodness when facing trials.
The Gift of Knowledge overcomes this resistance by giving us the grace to see and love God’s will. As Saint Paul declares, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
When we truly “know” this, we no longer fear what God’s will may bring. Instead, we surrender to it, trust in it, and love it—because we understand that His will alone leads to holiness, peace, and eternal happiness.
The Beatitude: “Blessed Are Those Who Mourn”
Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas associate the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer with the third Beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). At first glance, this connection may seem unexpected. What does mourning have to do with doing God’s will?
Those who sincerely seek to fulfill God’s will experience a holy sorrow—a mourning over sin, the suffering of the world due to sin, and the resistance of souls to God’s divine plan. This Beatitude does not refer to earthly sadness, but to a spiritual and holy sorrow—one that aligns our hearts with God’s own desires. Jesus expressed this deep sorrow when He entered the Garden of Gethsemane. He said to Peter, James, and John: “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch” (Mark 14:34). Jesus’ sorrow was not over his pending death, but grief over the sins for which He would die and especially over those who would reject His saving Passion.
Saint Paul expressed this holy sorrow toward the people of Israel who rejected Jesus:
“I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh” (Romans 9:1–3).
Those who spiritually mourn in accord with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful Heart of Mary recognize the disorder of sin and long for God’s Justice and Mercy. Beyond grieving personal suffering, they mourn over:
- Their own sins and their failure to love God perfectly.
- The sins of the world, which wound the Body of Christ.
- The opposition to God’s will, which hinders the reign of His Kingdom.
Despite this deep sorrow, they remain faithful, trusting that God’s plan is perfect and that His will shall be accomplished.
Jesus promises that those who mourn in this holy way will be comforted—not just in eternity, but even in this life. This comfort comes not from the removal of suffering, but from the grace, peace, and strength that flow from aligning our will with God’s, just as Jesus did in the Garden. Thus, when we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” we are asking for the grace to mourn rightly—to grieve over sin, to embrace God’s will with humility, and to trust that His perfect plan, though mysterious, will ultimately lead to joy and consolation in our lives and in the lives of all.
Aligning Our Desires
When we are trapped in a longing for our own will rather than God’s alone, we find discouragement, which can lead to despair. But when we seek only God’s highest glory and the coming of His Kingdom, we will desire the means to that highest end: that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Consider what you pray for and what you desire. Are you certain that they align with God’s will? You can be certain only if your prayer conforms to Christ’s.
Knowing God’s Will with Certainty
Do you know God’s will for your life and for all people? Yes, you do—but at first, only in general terms. You know that:
- God wills that His Name be known, loved, honored, and glorified: Hallowed be Thy Name.
- God desires the perfection of His Kingdom in our hearts, the Church, and the world: Thy Kingdom come.
- God’s will must be accomplished as it is in Heaven: Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
But knowing God’s will in specific circumstances requires a deeper interior detachment. This is why we are called to pray with radical surrender: “Not my will…” This is the most difficult—yet purifying and freeing—part of this petition.
To use more provocative language: Do you long for the annihilation of your own will within the light of God’s will? Jesus made a promise to Saint Faustina about the power of her prayer, saying it would become “a pleasing sacrifice, a holocaust full of sweetness and fragrance” and that it would be great and powerful for whomever she interceded. But how was this possible? Jesus revealed the necessary condition: “You must be annihilated, destroyed, living as if you were dead in the most secret depths of your being. You must be destroyed in that secret depth where the human eye has never penetrated…” (Diary #1767).
Though this language sounds severe, it reveals the burning desire we must have: that our will, preferences, hopes, and attachments be entirely consumed by God’s divine plan—not to diminish us, but to free us from the misaligned ambitions that hinder our sanctification. Only when we abandon ourselves without reserve to God’s will do we discover that He accomplishes His plan through our prayer. Our “annihilation” does not mean the destruction of the will but its perfect elevation, where human desire becomes entirely one with God’s perfect desire—no longer in conflict, but in complete harmony.
Believing in the Perfection of God’s Will
God revealed to the Prophet Jeremiah: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). To the Prophet Isaiah, He declared: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
Consider these passages in light of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. It was not God’s will that she be healed of her illness at the young age of twenty-four. Instead, it was His divine plan that her short life would radiate His glory until the end of the world and throughout eternity.
Had Sister Thérèse lived a long life, would she have left such an immortal spiritual legacy? We do not know. But what we do know is that her offering, suffering, and death became a beacon of light, inspiring countless souls to greater holiness.
This is why we approach God as trusting children. Though we might not grasp His divine wisdom, we believe that His ways are far above our own. We desire only what He wills and because He wills it! Nothing more, nothing less, nothing other.
With humility, be honest with yourself before God. Try saying these words throughout the day this week: “Not my will…”
- What comes to mind when you say it?
- What are you holding on to?
- What are you trying to convince God to do for you?
Once you have identified the desires that are rooted in your own will, step back and surrender them. If our desires are not part of God’s perfect will, all the prayer in the world will not bring them about. We cannot manipulate or change God because He is Perfection Itself.
Once you have identified your desires, try to surrender them to God by praying as a trusting child: “Your will be done!” Pray it with passion! Beg that the perfect order and charity of Heaven come down to earth—to you, your family, the Church, and the world. Desire nothing but God’s will. Nothing will glorify you more. Nothing will glorify Him more.
Ponder often that doing God’s will is not the end itself—it is the means to the greatest end: God Himself. No adventure is greater. No joy is deeper. Have hope for the journey, and pray that God leads you to the glory He desires to bestow upon you. Pray that He grants you a foretaste of the beatitude that He has prepared for those who love Him.
Let us Pray:
Father most holy, Father of ours, You Who reign gloriously in the souls of the saints and desire to reign in my life and throughout the world, I come before You in humility and love, praying most fervently: May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
I offer myself to You, weak and sinful as I am, and consecrate myself entirely to You for Your glory and the fulfillment of Your divine will. May Your will be accomplished in me, so that Your Kingdom may reign within me, granting me a share in Your holiness.
I unite this prayer with Jesus, Your Son, and in communion with all the angels and saints in Heaven. Transform not only my heart, but the hearts of all Your children on earth. Free us from sin, selfishness, and fear, and open our eyes to see only You—to long for nothing but the perfection of Your will.
Pour out upon me the Gift of Knowledge, that I may mourn over all that offends You. Flood my mind with divine wisdom, that I may recognize what must be done to further Your Kingdom throughout the earth. Purge from my soul all that resists Your will, so that I may become a pure instrument of Your love and mercy.
I love You, most loving Father. Teach me to love others as You have loved me, for in this is the fulfillment of Your will. And when my love falters, when I struggle to surrender, help me to echo the perfect prayer of Your beloved Son: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
With willing surrender and confidence in the power and perfection of Thy most Holy Will, may I embrace every cross I carry, every suffering I endure, and every trial I encounter. Amen.
Chapter Six: “Give Us This Day…”
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