Hallowed by Thy Name, thy kingdom come
Catechism Course 68
Hallowed be thy name. For many years I thought that this petition was primarily calling on believers to praise and worship the holy name of God. Since then, I have come to appreciate two important points. Firstly, rather than focusing on what we can do to bring honour to the Lord’s name, this petition calls on God to demonstrate the holiness of the divine name by means of the saving and liberating, divine deeds which are performed in order to establish God’s definitive reign in the world. The background of this interpretation is to be found in Ezech 36:21-23, where we read: “I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone…..I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned, among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” Needless to say, when people see the Lord manifesting the divine holiness in the world around them, through the co-operation of Spirit filled people, e.g., by means of deeds of mercy and action for justice together with exorcisms, healings and miracles, they will have cause to respond with grateful joy in the form of heartfelt praise and worship. Secondly, in the long run this petition has its eye on the manifestation of God on the last day. Understood in this sense, the words:
“hallowed be thy name,” could be translated as, “Sanctify your name by bringing in your kingdom.”
Thy Kingdom come. When Jesus variously spoke about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of heaven he did so in imaginative terms. He never defined what he meant by the phrase. Scripture scholars maintain that he was referring to the reign of God when evil would be banished and there would be a new earth. Writing to gentiles who were unfamiliar with Jewish religious thinking St Paul said: “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, (i.e. right relationship with God by means of faith expressed in loving actions) peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rm 14:17). Centuries later St Gregory Nanzianzus (329-389) said in his third sermon on the Lord’s Prayer: “according to some, Thy kingdom come, means, May Your Holy Spirit come upon us to purify us.” Perhaps St Luke indirectly endorsed this interpretation when he said: "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Lk:11-13). The implication seems to be clear. Whereas many of the things one might ask of God might not be in accord with the divine will, to ask for the outpouring of the Spirit will always help to establish the reign of God.
The petition: “thy kingdom come” can be understood in two interrelated senses which involve the “is” and the “not yet” of the kingdom of God.
· Firstly, God’s reign is already being exercised in the here and now through the proclamation that the four great enemies of people, sin, suffering, death and Satan are being overcome by the power of God. For example, on one occasion Jesus said: “if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Mt 12:28). People can only participate in this kingdom of grace by turning away from sin, believing in the gospel of God’s unconditional and unrestricted mercy, and faithfully doing the will of God. As Jesus warned: “I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20).
· Secondly, while God’s kingdom has already come in principle, it will only be fully established in reality at the end of salvation history. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out: “In the Lord’s Prayer, ‘thy kingdom come’ refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return.” So the early Christian’s cry of Maranatha, i.e., “come Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 16:22) was another way of saying “thy kingdom come.” So it is not really surprising to find these words in the last chapter of the bible: “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!"……He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:17-20). It seems to me that implicit in this petition is a prayer to see effective worldwide evangelisation. Presumably, the Lord’s return will only occur when the great commission to preach the good news to the whole of creation has been fulfilled and has prompted universal revival and renewal. It would seem therefore, that when we pray: “thy kingdom come” we have both senses in mind.
