Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as the after-feast of the Meeting of the Lord!

In the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we say: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We, of course, understand clearly that the angels have complete self-control over their own actions, never make excuses for themselves, and are always ready to joyfully fulfill the will of God. Therefore, there is always peace and harmony in heaven. Without a doubt, it would be desirable that here on earth, God’s will would also be done always, that peace would reign and that there would be concord amongst people. Unfortunately, people lack that angelic self- control to always listen to God’s commandments and therefore, we have neither peace nor concord.

As is the case with the first two petitions of this prayer, it is best to understand the third petition as addressed personally to each of us – Thy will be done in me. Someone could ask the question, “What is God’s will personally for me?” Although it might be hard to answer this question in detail, in general terms the answer is simple and obvious. God’s will is that every person sets out to reach his Heavenly Father, not fall into sin, and find salvation! Therefore, when we say these words we could think the following: Lord, grant that I always have as a goal to live according to your will, so that I may find my way into the Kingdom of Heaven where I will glorify Your holy name.

The Holy Hierarch Cyprian of Carthage, a church father of the first half of the third century, explains the words of the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer in a more figurative and very beautiful way. He brings to mind that a person is a complex being, made up not only of a body, but also a soul and spirit. Our soul thirsts to be with God and aspires to be with Him. Unfortunately, the body often resists this wish and pulls the person down to earth, that is to that which is temporal, perishable, sinful. In such a way, there is a battle raging within a person between the soul, which aspires to God, and the body, which, on the contrary, wants earthly comfort. When we say “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are talking about this battle and pray that our earthly bodily desires and needs do not in any way harm us in the process of achieving our spiritual goals.

Today we continue to celebrate that special and touching meeting between the elder Simeon and the newly-born infant Christ. This man waited the entirety of his very long life to see the Saviour, and finally he not only saw Him, but also embraced Him in his arms, that is, connected with Him as closely as possible. The will of God is that we also find ourselves in such close proximity to the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, let’s pray that the will of God is fulfilled and we are vouchsafed such a meeting.

priest Alexis