How can we facilitate the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth? We desire it and we ask for it every day in the Our Father. What do we mean by this prayer? Do we just repeat the words - multiple times - without really considering what we're asking?
On page 11 of the Book of Life we learn that we desire exactly what Jesus Himself desires for us when we pray these words. We desire to be transformed into Him so He can breathe, work and speak in us and love others through us. He desires to become fully incarnate in us so we can experience joy to the full.
St. Teresa of Avila wrote to her sisters about this line of the Our Father. Her words are quoted briefly in the Book of Life (in ch. 4). Here is a full quote from The Way of Perfection:
"Now that Our Good Master has asked, and taught us to ask, for something so highly valuable that it includes everything we can desire here below and that He has granted us so wonderful a favour as to make us His brothers, let us see what He desires us to give His Father, and how He offers this gift for us and what He asks of us. For it is right that we somehow serve Him in return for such great favours. O good Jesus! What You give on our behalf in return for ehat you requested for us is no small thing, although it really amounts to nothing when compared to the greatness of the Lord and what we owe Him. But certainly, my Lord, You do not leave us empty-handed when we give You everything we can - I mean if we really give it, as we say we will.
"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." You did well, good Master of ours, to make this petition os that we might accomplish what You give on our behalf. For certainly, Lord, if You hadn't made the petition, the task would seem to me impossible. But when Your Father does what You ask Him by giving us His kingdom here on earth, I know that we shall make Your words come true by giving what You give for us. For once the earth has become heaven, the popssibility is there for You will to be done in me. But if earth hasn't - and earth as wretched and barren as mine - I don't knoe, Lord, how it will be possible. It is indeed a great thing, that which You offer!"
St. Teresa goes on to say that its not right just to say the words of the prayer because everyone says them or because they're just in the prayer, as that's not how God's will is done. She says that His will must be done whether we like it or not - both on earth and in heaven. His will being done doesn't depend on us and its a good thing it isn't! But we can offer our own wills to Him and our desire for His will to be done. She goes on to say that for people living in the world (that would be those of us in the lay branch), "will be doing enough if they truly have the determinatiuon to do His will."
All this to say then, that by our desire for God's Kingdom to come, by our desire for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, and by our desire to do his will in our own lives (every moment of our lives - as our prayer says), then we are helping His Kingdom to come a little bit every day. This can be our response to the offering of Jesus' own will to the Father that He gave in Gethsemane.
As we journey along our pilgrimage we will see several themes like this come and go through the tapestry of the Book of Life. We will learn about the Divine Will and how living in the Divine Will is not the same as 'doing' God's will. We will learn about praying for God's Kindgom to come. We will also learn to folloe Our Lady in her fiat so we can say our own fiat in the small moments of each day.
St. Teresa talks about suffering as an offering of our wills to God too. Ultimately, Jesus' sufferings are enough but we can still unite our sufferings and trials to His for the good of others too. We will also learn about saying our fiat in the trials of life too - even the little sorrows - again like Our Lady.
Teresa says 'we don't do anything ourselves ... nor is anything else necessary ... than to say 'fiat voluntas tua: Your will Lord be done in me in every way and manner that You, my Lord, want. But grant me the favour of Your Kingdom that I may do your Will ... in conformity with Your will.'
The quotations here are taken from Chapter 32 of The Way of Perfection of St. Teresa of Avilla.
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