In his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the “Our Father” prayer. This time he focused on the third invocation “thy will be done.”
The pope said God's will is revealed in the “person of Jesus” who seeks out and saves what is lost. He added God’s will “is indeed for the salvation of all mankind.”
Pope Francis stressed that this prayer inspires one to have the same desire for the Father's will as shown by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Despite being “crushed by the world’s wickedness” Christ still abandons himself “faithfully to the Father’s will.”
The pope concluded by inviting Christians to have this same conviction that God will never abandon one. He said this is more than a hope it is a certainty.
SUMMARY OF POPE'S CATECHESIS
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our continuing catechesis on the “Our Father”, we now turn to the third invocation, “thy will be done”.
We see God’s will revealed in the person of Jesus: to seek out and to save that which is lost. If we do not appreciate this we risk misunderstanding the meaning of the third aspect of the “Our Father”.
We can affirm, however, without a doubt, that God’s will is indeed for the salvation of all mankind.
Our prayer, then, is offered by children who know their Father’s heart and are certain of his loving plan.
This prayer, moreover, inspires in us the same desire for the Father’s will as we see in Jesus, especially when, in the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this chalice from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done” (Lk 22:42).
Jesus is crushed by the world’s wickedness, yet he abandons himself faithfully to the Father’s will. We can do likewise, for the conviction that God will never abandon us is more than a hope. It is a certainty!
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Belgium, Croatia, Norway, Nigeria, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that this Lent will be a time of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
