Word of Life

Do you remember these words? “Not my will but Yours be done.”

Perhaps we never thought of it, even if we were baptized and are sons or daughters of the Church. Perhaps we might have used this sentence as an expression of resignation—something one does when he or she has no choice. This, however, is not its real meaning.

Listen: in life we can go in one of two directions. We can do our own will, or we can freely choose to do God’s will. In the former, we will soon experience disappointment by attempting to climb the mountain of life using our limited ideas, our resources, our dreams and our own strength. All this, sooner or later, will transform our lives into an experience of boredom, inconclusiveness, dullness and, at times, despair. Our existence will be colourless in spite of our efforts to make it interesting; despite everything, the deepest part of us will not be at peace. We should admit it, for we cannot deny it. Furthermore, at the end of our lives, we will go without leaving a trace—only a few tears and then relentless, total oblivion. If, instead, we do the will of God, we will re-live Jesus’ words:
“Not my will but Yours be done.”

Let us imagine that God is like the sun. A ray from the sun falls on each one of us. Each ray is the divine will for me, for you, for everyone. Christians and all people of good will are called to move towards the sun, keeping to their own ray of light which is unique and distinct from all the others. By doing so, they will fulfil the wonderful and particular plan that God has for them.
If we do the same, we will find ourselves involved in a divine adventure we never even dreamed of. We will be, at the same time, both actor in and spectator of something great that God is accomplishing in us and through us, in humanity. All that will happen to us—joys and sufferings, graces and disgraces, significant events (success and good fortune, accidents and the loss of those dear to us) as well as seemingly insignificant events (routine work at home, in the office or at school), everything will acquire new meaning, since all these have been offered to us by God who is love. Everything that He wills or permits is for our own good. At first, we will accept it in faith and later we will actually experience that there is a golden thread connecting all the events of our lives, forming a beautiful embroidery—it is the plan of God for us. Maybe this prospect is attractive to us. Maybe we sincerely want to give a deeper meaning to our lives. Then listen: I will tell you when you should do the will of God. Just think for a moment: the past is gone and we cannot go back; we can only leave it to God’s mercy. The future is not here yet – we will live it when it becomes the present. Only the present moment is in our hands. In the present, we have to live the words:
“Not my will but Yours be done.”

When travelling by train—and life is also a journey—we usually remain seated. We wouldn’t think of walking back and forth to get there faster. But this is what we do if we live our lives dreaming of a future which is not yet here, or thinking of a past which will never return.
No, time moves forward on its own. We must remain rooted in the present and then we will reach the fulfilment of our lives here on earth. You might ask me: how do I distinguish God’s will from my own? It is not difficult to distinguish God’s will from our own if we remain in the present. I will tell you one way to do it. God speaks within us. Perhaps in the past, we have too often smothered His voice and now it is barely audible. But try to listen, God speaks to us (see Jn 18:37 and Rev. 3:20). He tells us when to study, when it is the moment to help someone in need, when to work, when to overcome a temptation or to fulfil one of our duties as a Christian or as a citizen. The voice of God within us urges us to listen to those who speak to us in His name; it helps us face difficult situations courageously….Don’t silence this voice—it’s the most precious treasure we possess. Follow it. We will then build, moment by moment, the story of our lives, a story that is both human and divine because we have created it in collaboration with God, and we will see wonders: we will see what God can work in people who say with their whole lives,

“Not my will but Yours be done.”


Chiara Lubich.