Brother Malachy joins Fr. Mark-Mary to discuss how the words “thy will be done” —if we really believed them and lived by them—may not seem like a good sales pitch at first. We live in a culture of individualism where doing things “my way” is preferred. Yet, in this prayer we are saying God’s way is better.
Indeed, God’s will is much better. To explain why, Brother Malachy tells another childhood story about a camping trip with his family on Cumberland Island, South Carolina. He was wading out into the ocean with his dad. As they went deeper and deeper, climbing over sand bar after sand bar—as the water came over his waist, then his shoulders, then his head—Brother Malachy noticed that he couldn’t go any farther unless his dad carried him. He wanted to go as deep as he could into the ocean, but eventually noticed he could go much farther with his dad carrying him.
It’s the same with God’s will. This is why we pray “thy will be done”, so that we can go farther—so much farther—than we could without God. Our father in heaven, the God of the universe, has so much more to offer us. There is so much more he can do with our lives if we just give it to him.
When we come to Mass, Jesus is made present to us. God himself wants to establish intimate communion with us, and the only thing getting in the way is you and I—our fears, our pride.
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.”
John 4:23
Have faith, even amid adversity and suffering, that God can do wonders in our lives if we simply have faith in him. Let his will be done and hold on for the ride.
It turns out, “Thy will be done” is the best sales pitch out there for a fulfilling life. Hopefully when we pray the Our Father we recognize that we may be holding back when it comes to everything our life could be, if we’re not letting God’s will be done in our lives.
Meet Fr. Mark-Mary
Father Mark-Mary was ordained as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) in 2018 and lives at a friary in the Bronx.
The mission of the CFRs is to wholeheartedly embrace Jesus through fidelity to the Church and her Sacraments. Paired with their commitment to prayer, contemplation, and study of Sacred Scripture, the CFRs serve those around them, especially the poor, in the footsteps of Christ.
Discover beautiful music from the CFRs here.
