Fr. Reginald Martin, O.P. continues his series on the Our Father.
See the latest addition, as well as the archives.
Current novena prayers included.

The Rosary Light & Life - Vol 61, No 6, Nov.-Dec. 2008

THE OUR FATHER, PART IV
Thy Will be Done on EARTH as It Is in HEAVEN

By Father Reginald Martin, O.P.

The Gift of KnowledgeKnowledge, which is capacity to live a good life, is among the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit. In the Lenten sermons he preached in 1273, St. Thomas Aquinas remarked that the greatest proof of knowledge is our willingness to learn from others. An old joke says that a professional who consults no one but himself has a fool for a client; St. Thomas Aquinas shares this opinion. "...those who cling to their own judgment," he said, "so as to mistrust others and trust in themselves alone, invariably prove themselves fools and are judged as such."

Knowledge and HumilityTo learn demands humility, the frank acknowledgment that we are neither the source of our talents and gifts, nor the sole guide by which we lead our lives. St. Thomas uses the example of a doctor and patient to describe this humility. "...[W]hen a sick man consults a physician...he takes the medicine...because it is the will of the physician. If he took only what he willed himself, he would be a fool."

The Imitation of ChristIn our moral lives, of course, we can have no greater teacher than God. Thus, we pray that God's will be done - that is, that we may fulfill His plans for us. We may use many different words when we pray, but ultimately every prayer is - or should be - the simple request that we adapt our will to God's. In this way we imitate Our Savior, who said, "I came down from heaven to do, not my own will, but the will of Him that sent me" (John 6:38).  ... More

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