As we journey through a series on the kingdom of God at Eastbrook, I encountered these word by St. Augustine of Hippo from a sermon on the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew. I appreciated the way that Augustine reflects on the kingdom of our lives in relation to God’s kingdom.

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Your kingdom come. Come it surely will, whether we ask or no. Indeed, God has an eternal kingdom. For when did He not reign? When did He begin to reign? For His kingdom has no beginning, neither shall it have any end. But that we may know that in this prayer also we pray for ourselves, and not for God (for we do not say, Your kingdom come, as though we were asking that God may reign); we shall be ourselves His kingdom, if believing in Him we make progress in this faith. All the faithful, redeemed by the Blood of His Only Son, will be His kingdom. And this His kingdom will come, when the resurrection of the dead shall have taken place; for then He will come Himself. And when the dead are risen, He will divide them, as He Himself says, and He shall set some on the right hand, and some on the left. To those who shall be on the right hand He will say, Come, you blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom. This is what we wish and pray for when we say, Your kingdom come; that it may come to us. For if we shall be reprobates, that kingdom will come to others, but not to us. But if we shall be of that number, who belong to the members of His Only-begotten Son, His kingdom will come to us, and will not tarry. For are there as many ages yet remaining, as have already passed away? The Apostle John has said, My little children, it is the last hour. But it is a long hour proportioned to this long day; and see how many years this last hour lasts. But nevertheless, be ye as those who watch, and so sleep, and rise again, and reign. Let us watch now, let us sleep in death; at the end we shall rise again, and shall reign without end.

Your will be done as in heaven, so in earth. The third thing we pray for is, that His will may be done as in heaven so in earth. And in this too we wish well for ourselves. For the will of God must necessarily be done. It is the will of God that the good should reign, and the wicked be damned. Is it possible that this will should not be done? But what good do we wish for ourselves, when we say, Your will be done as in heaven, so in earth? Give ear. For this petition may be understood in many ways, and many things are to be in our thoughts in this petition, when we pray God, Your will be done as in heaven, so in earth. As Your Angels offend You not, so may we also not offend You. Again, how is Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth, understood? All the holy Patriarchs, all the Prophets, all the Apostles, all the spiritual are as it were God’s heaven; and we in comparison of them are earth. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth; as in them, so in us also. Again, Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth; the Church of God is heaven, His enemies are earth. So we wish well for our enemies, that they too may believe and become Christians, and so the will of God be done, as in heaven, so also in earth. Again, Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Our spirit is heaven, and the flesh earth. As our spirit is renewed by believing, so may our flesh be renewed by rising again; and the will of God be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Again, our mind whereby we see truth, and delight in this truth, is heaven; as, I delight in the law of God, after the inward man. What is the earth? I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind? When this strife shall have passed away, and a full concord brought about of the flesh and spirit, the will of God will be done as in heaven, so also in earth. When we repeat this petition, let us think of all these things, and ask them all of the Father. Now all these things which we have mentioned, these three petitions, beloved, have respect to the life eternal. For if the Name of our God is sanctified in us, it will be for eternity. If His kingdom come, where we shall live for ever, it will be for eternity. If His will be done as in heaven, so in earth, in all the ways which I have explained, it will be for eternity.