Video Transcript
Edmund: Imagine what your prayer would be like if you knew in a few hours you’d be arrested and sentenced to die. The Bible describes Jesus in this exact situation in the Gospels.
Emily: Right before Jesus is arrested, He spends an intense time in prayer knowing what is about to happen. But during the “agony in the garden” there’s this moment that might be confusing since we also believe Jesus is God. Jesus says “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me….” So does that mean that Jesus wanted to disobey God the Father?
Edmund: Jesus is fully God and fully man. So in this prayer, Jesus is expressing that His human will—just like ours—always desires to live. We have a strong desire to live, and our will does not naturally desire pain or suffering. And the Catechism explains in paragraph 612 “Thus he expresses the horror that death represented for his human nature.”
Emily: We hear the answer a few moments later, when Jesus prays “Not my will but your will be done.” Even though Jesus’ human nature was in agony at the thought of death, Jesus gives us the ultimate example of choosing to place the Father’s will above His own.
Edmund: Jesus’ prayer during the Agony of the Garden reminds us of the words of the Lord’s Prayer when Jesus taught us: “Thy will be done.”
Emily: The Catechism goes into more depth in paragraph 2824 where it explains: “In Christ, and through his human will, the will of the Father has been perfectly fulfilled once for all. Jesus said on entering into this world: ‘Lo, I have come to do your will, O God.’ Only Jesus can say: ‘I always do what is pleasing to him.’ In the prayer of his agony, he consents totally to this will: ‘not my will, but yours be done.’ For this reason Jesus ‘gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…’”
Edmund: In teaching us the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to bring our needs to God. But He’s also teaching us to turn our will toward God’s will. And Jesus knows how difficult this is to do, especially when we are faced with suffering. Because He faced the worst suffering imaginable.
Emily: At first, we might be hesitant to become completely obedient to God’s will. But God’s will is perfect and good. Jesus proves to us that God wills our ultimate good, not just our temporary happiness. He is willing to experience suffering and death on a cross to save us and reconcile us to Himself.
Edmund: In the Lord’s Prayer, we acknowledge God’s will before we ask for our own needs. This isn’t because God doesn’t care about us and wants to put His will above ours out of selfishness. God’s will IS for our ultimate and highest good.
Emily: God knows better than anyone how to bring about our lasting happiness. It’s like when parents tell their children to follow certain rules, like an early bedtime or eating healthy foods. We learn to trust as kids that our parents know how to take care of us, at times better than we do.
Edmund: In a similar way, we can learn to trust in God with the help of grace and by practicing this obedience to His will even when things are difficult. But there is a lot at stake for us in this decision. When we choose to go against God’s will, that is actually not just disobedience but sin as well. Adam and Eve, in the first sin, disobeyed God’s will.
Emily: Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father’s will. Jesus has a human will and a divine will. He is capable of being obedient “even to death.” And Jesus substitutes His obedience for our disobedience. And in this way God offers His own obedience as a sacrifice to defeat sin and reconcile us to Himself.
Edmund: Christ’s human will does not resist or oppose, but rather submits in obedience to His divine will. In the Lord’s Prayer, when we pray “Thy will be done,” we ask that God’s loving plan be realized fully on earth—and in our lives—as it is already in heaven.
Emily: The Catechism says in paragraph 2823 “He has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ.” Through Jesus and His teachings, we now know the Father’s will.
Edmund: But He also gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit and grace so that we can do this. This is the way His will can be “on earth as it is in heaven” – through grace, life in Christ, prayer, and striving to understand and be obedient to God’s will. Even when our human will wants to avoid challenges and suffering.
Emily: God teaches us over time to become more and more obedient to His will. The daily moments in our life—especially moments of suffering—can teach us how to be humble and obedient if we take them to our Father in prayer.
Edmund: But we’re never alone. Jesus wants to be with us through the Sacraments, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and in communion with His body—the Church. Our prayer and our obedience to God’s will takes place within the context of the family of God, the Church.
Emily: Doing God’s will doesn’t just bring about our ultimate happiness and goodness. Obediently praying “Thy will be done” also allows God to work through us for others’ happiness.
Edmund: Jesus knows personally that the Lord’s Prayer can be challenging to pray with our whole heart. But He wants to help us to pray this prayer because He knows the Father’s plan of loving goodness for our lives. And this is why, in the Lord’s Prayer, God invites us to know and love His will for our lives and others.
