The Third Petition

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

COMPENDIUM

In this petition, we ask for grace to do the will of God in all things, obeying His holy Laws as promptly as the Angels and the Saints obey them in heaven. We ask, too, for grace to correspond with thoughts divinely suggested to our minds, and to live fully resigned to the will of God, when He calls upon us to endure tribulations.

The necessity of performing the will of God is as great as the necessity of securing eternal salvation, and they are inseparable from one another; for Jesus Christ says that only those shall enter into the Kingdom of God who have done the will of His Father. God's will may be learnt, in particular, through the Church, and from our spiritual superiors, appointed by God to guide us in the way of salvation. Moreover, the divine will may be ascertained by means of thoughts suggested by God, and from the circumstances in which our Lord places us. But in all circumstances, whether prosperous or adverse, we should acknowledge the will of God, who even in this life orders everything, or at any rate permits it, for our good.

CATECHISM

297. What do we ask in the Third Petition: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?

In the Third Petition: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we beg the grace to do the will of God in all things by obeying His Commandments as promptly as the Angels and Saints obey Him in Heaven; and we also beg the grace to correspond to divine inspirations and to live resigned to the will of God should He send us tribulations.

298. Is it necessary to do the will of God?

It is as necessary to do the will of God as it is to work out our salvation, because Jesus Christ has said that they alone who have done the will of His Father shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

299. In what way can we know the will of God?

We can know the will of God especially by means of the Church and of the spiritual superiors appointed by God to guide us along the way of salvation; we may also learn His most holy will from the divine inspirations that come to us and from the very surroundings in which the Lord has placed us.

300. Should we always recognize the will of God in adversity as well as in prosperity?

Both in prosperity and adversity, we should always recognize the will of God, who directs or permits all things for our good.