Teresa of Avila and the our Father
God wants to give the Kingdom to us
In the Our Father we pray: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
“Thy Kingdom Come…on earth as it is in heaven.” God wants to give the Kingdom to us, now in this life, which is perfect joy. But there is a price: Thy will be done! We must do the will of God, accept the will of God, and abandon our will to the will of God. This is the price we must pay; but it is actually a small price in comparison to what we get in return: the Kingdom, the indwelling presence of God in our soul which is the beginning of Heaven on earth. For if we unite our will to God completely, then we will experience Heaven, transforming union with God, a flood of Living Water that quenches our desire for the infinite in this life - before we die – so why wait?
God knows what each one can suffer
Teresa of Avila writes in her commentary on the Our Father in her book the Way of Perfection Chapter 32
God knows what each one can suffer. He does not delay in doing His will in anyone He sees has strength. Well, I want to advise you and remind you what His will is. Don't fear that it means He will give you riches, or delights, or honors, or all these earthly things. His love for you is not that small, and He esteems highly what you give Him. He wants to repay you well, for He gives you His kingdom while you are still alive. Do you want to know how He answers those who say these words to Him sincerely? (Thy Will be done) Ask His glorious Son, who said them while praying in the Garden. My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but Your will be done in me.
Since these words were said with such determination and complete willingness, see if the Father's will wasn't done fully in Him through the trials, sorrows, injuries, and persecutions He suffered until His life came to an end through death on a cross.
The Blessing from God
Well, see what God gave to the one He loved most, His only Son. By that we understand what His will is. For these are His gifts in this world. He gives according to the love He bears us: to those He loves more, He gives more of these gifts; to those He loves less, He gives less. And He gives according to the courage He sees in each and the love each has for His Majesty. He will see that whoever loves Him much will be able to suffer much for Him; whoever loves Him little will be capable of little.
Our sufferings and trials are not a punishment from God; they are The Blessing from God Our Father because if we accept them with trust and love they empty us of our disordered attachments that block God so that we can receive God more completely, receive the Kingdom of Heaven into our soul - which is perfect joy, perfect happiness. Therefore the 8th Beatitude is Blessed are those who suffer for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven – in this life!
Strive to suffer what His Majesty desires
I myself hold that the measure for being able to bear a large or small cross is love. So…if you love Him, strive that what you say to the Lord may not amount to mere polite words; strive to suffer what His Majesty desires you to suffer. For, otherwise, when you give your will, it would be like showing a jewel to another, making a gesture to give it away, and asking that he take it; but when he extends his hand to accept it, you pull yours back and hold on tightly to the jewel.
Nothing can happen accept what God wills or allows
In Romans 8, Paul writes: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
Nothing can happen accept what God wills or allows. If you are experiencing a cross you cannot remove, God is allowing this to bless you, to empty you… to flood your soul with His divine life - which is the kingdom and it is perfect joy. Accept it with trust, and offer it with love, confident that God is using it to remove any purgatory from your future and flood you with His divine life in this life. And let’s go further – Leverage your cross, offer it for all the loved ones who have been submitted to our prayer intention list because people have been sending me testimonies of loved ones who are experiencing conversion based on the Rosaries and Sacrifices of this Army you have joined. Don’t waste any crosses – leverage them – offer them up to save souls.