THY  WILL  BE  DONE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Thy Will Be Done.”

The idea of the Will of God appears in today’s first reading, today’s Psalm Response and today’s gospel.

We say that prayer – “Thy will be done” in the Our Father  - sometimes with little thought  – sometimes with deep depth.

The air traffic controller and the greatest theologians in the history of our world have tossed around what they think that phrase means.

I don’t know about you – but I hesitate to say I know for sure what “God’s will be done” means – but of course like everyone – I think I know what’s best for everyone else in the family and in the world.

Oooops! I take some of that back, because I assume God’s will is that we forgive one another, love another and respect and honor and are generous to each other. Okay: timing is everything

I don’t think God has a check list of people who are to die today. I don’t believe that God zaps people. I believe that God cries when babies die and are with loved ones is with their loved ones as loved ones die.

I don’t think God wants some football team to win the Superbowl and some team to lose the Superbowl.

Just before a high school basketball game, I was standing there with our team.  We were praying to win. I just happen to look at the faces  of  the other team. They were also praying. At that moment the insight hit me and this is not the way God works.  So  I say to God – “I don’t think you determine who’s going to win a certain basketball game nor do you have favorites and all that.”  Yet the fans of some teams think that’s what happens with their team every year.

TODAY’S READINGS

I noticed in the Letter to the Hebrews that we’re dealing with folks  who have struggles with the Law. The main message seems to be – that we struggle to say “Amen” – especially  the Great Amen - to what God seems to want and what God does each day.

I know that when I say to God, “Thy will be done, I am saying, ‘God I have no clue at times how all this works. Help me to let go of my trying to be you and control the universe – as well as other people’s lives – and God “God, what does it mean that you control the universe?”

 I also say many times each day – the words Jesus said from the cross, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

I say that one a lot. You don’t have to live with the priests I live with.

But most of all - that prayer in the Our Father and in today’s 3 readings about God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven triggers for me the best funny prayer of all time: “My will be done.”

That’s the prayer I’m thinking lots of times. It’s underneath all my complaints about others and life and how things go. I wish so and so wouldn’t say that – or drive like that – or get jam in the peanut butter.

It takes a lifetime to laugh at oneself about how I want the world to go round.  If I was the engineer I want God to be, uh oh. I find it difficult to move backwards with the car in Reverse in a parking lot.

I’m sure whoever came up with the line, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

I would think it would make a very funny movie if everything people wanted on the spot happened. Some one says, “I wish it wasn’t so cold – and the temperature shoots from 29 to 92 – and then someone says, “It’s too hot. Dang it. It’s always too hot around here and the temperature shoots down to 43.” Then some kid says, “I wish it was just a little bit coldler – and it snowed – so we didn’t have to go to school.”

Chaos would reign as rain switches to snow.

CONCLUSION

In fact a good time to pray and say and laugh the, “Thy will be done!” prayer is when we’re actually saying, “I want it my way.” Or when we’re thinking and praying, “My will be done.”