III. D'oraison — Le 40e dimanche
The Third Petition: Thy Will Be Done
The catechism explains that praying for God's will to be done is a request for all creation to submit to His sovereignty and for our own wills to be aligned with His.
The third petition: how God's will is to be done. Minister: How do you ask that God's will be done? C: That every creature may be subject to him so as to give him obedience, and that everything may thus be done according to his good pleasure. 272. M: Do you mean that nothing can be done against his will? Student: We aren't just asking that he brings everything to the point where what he has determined in his counsel comes to pass, but that, with every rebellion put down, he aligns all wills with his will alone.
Renouncing Self for Divine Renewal
True prayer involves renouncing our own desires so that the Holy Spirit may create in us new hearts that consent fully to God's will.
Renewal 273. M: By doing this, aren't we renouncing our own wills? E: Yes, we are—and not only so that he overturns our desires that go against his good pleasure, rendering them vain and of no effect, but also so that he creates in us new spirits and new hearts, so that we will nothing of ourselves, but that his Spirit wills in us to make us fully consent with him.12
On Earth as in Heaven
The prayer concludes by desiring that human obedience on earth mirrors the perfect, peaceful obedience of the angels in heaven.
God's will done in heaven.✦ M: Why do you add “on earth as in heaven”?✦ E: Because his heavenly creatures—that is, his angels—seek only to obey him peaceably, without any resistance, we desire that the same be done on earth: that is, that all people put themselves under willing obedience.✦
Read the original Latin
La troisième requête : comment la volonté de Dieu doit être accomplie 271. M : Comment requiers-tu que la volonté de Dieu soit faite? E : Que toutes créatures lui soient sujettes pour lui rendre obéissance et ainsi que tout se fasse selon son bon plaisir.
272. M : Entends-tu que rien se puisse faire contre sa volonté? E : Nous requérons non pas seulement qu'il amène toutes choses à tel point que ce qu'il a déterminé en son conseil advienne, mais que toute rébellion abattue, il range toutes volontés à la sienne seule.
Renouvellement 273. M : En ce faisant, ne renonçons-nous pas à nos propres volontés? E : Si faisons, et non seulement afin qu'il renverse nos désirs qui contreviennent à son bon plaisir, les rendant vains et de nul effet, mais aussi qu'il crée en nous nouveaux esprits et nouveaux coeurs, tellement que nous ne voulions rien de nous-mêmes, mais que son Esprit veuille en nous pour nous faire pleinement consentir avec lui.
Volonté de Dieu faite au ciel 274. M : Pourquoi ajoutes-tu « en la terre comme au ciel »? E : D'autant que ses créatures célestes, qui sont ses anges, ne cherchent qu'à lui obéir paisiblement, sans quelque contrariété, nous désirons que le semblable se fasse en terre, c'est que tous hommes se rangent en obéissance volontaire.
Scripture echoes
Notes
Catechism of the Church of Geneva (Le catéchisme de l'Église de Genève) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit