“Thy Kingdom come!” with Saint Teresa, Our Mother

We continue our meditations on the Lord's Prayer with Saint Teresa of Avila, our Mother.

In chapter 30 of The Way of Perfection:

Thy Kingdom come!

Here is a little sharing for this season of Lent, when the Church calls us to return to the heart. In this light, this request from the Lord's Prayer becomes more urgent: “Thy Kingdom come!”

In chapter 30 of The Way of Perfection, Saint Teresa speaks to us about two requests from the Lord's Prayer: “Hallowed be thy name and thy Kingdom come!” Here, we will focus mainly on the second part!

        The Kingdom of God does not begin first in the events of the world around us, but within ourselves, in our hearts! When we love, when we desire and work for peace within ourselves and around us, through efforts to change ourselves. The first place where God wants to reign is in the heart of each one of us.

         Thus, asking for his Kingdom to come is to give him the place where he can reign. It is to accept that he can govern our lives, that he can purify our desires, that he can truly become the center. When God reigns, his Will becomes ours, attachments are simplified, and a deeper peace settles in. Teresa speaks of this peace that nothing can take away from the soul abandoned to God (cf. ch. 30), in this chapter where she speaks of the prayer of quiet.

Lent is that special time when we truly work to bring about His Kingdom and do His will in us and on earth as it is in heaven!

  This Kingdom is not a domination, but a presence to be welcomed into the depths of our being. God wants to dwell in us! Where He dwells, He reigns, and the soul already tastes something of Heaven, even in the midst of the trials of this world.

And we pray with insistence and perseverance at this time: “Thy Kingdom come!” In these days when our Holy Land is still experiencing war! This request becomes even more urgent: “Thy Kingdom come!” We carry in our prayers all those who live on this land and in this region! We offer to the Lord their fears, their wounds, their fragile lives, and we pray that the violence will cease as soon as possible and that peace will come! May God reign in our hearts, even in times of trial! And may his peace begin silently in every heart: Lord, may your Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven!

We thank you for your prayers and support in this difficult time! We are well, thanks be to the Lord!

We pray for you too and for all your intentions!

Your Sisters of Carmel in Jerusalem!