To be saints, we must gaze continuously upon the mystery of our final destination. Acknowledging that God is in heaven is much more than a statement of fact, but rather it is an invitation to turn our attention towards something that transcends our existence in this world. It invites us to look upon that mysterious land of our fulfillment which goes beyond our understanding and ability to logically grasp.

So often, it is precisely our inability to set our gaze on these mysteries which limits and haunts the individual. When we are attached to the things of this world, we secretly desire to live forever and cling desperately to the trinkets of this life. If we could surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, we would soon discover that the things of this world are passing and finite. We would also realize that our heavenly Father wants so much more from us.

The answer is to constantly interrupt the flow of our activity by inviting eternity into our present circumstances. Before we ask anything, the prayer of Jesus invites wonder and awe. Not the cares of this world are completely insignificant, but it seems as though we can only truly live in this world when we see it in relation to the next. Understanding heaven helps us to understand the material world. As the theologian St. Thomas Aquinas explains, we understand something by understanding the end for which it was created.

As this sweet remembrance of heaven begins to settle into the heart, a certain distance from the moment begins to set it. It is kind of like we begin to see different camera angles of the various scenes of our life. Our ego is dislodged and we are given new perspectives from which we are able to understand and experience the moment.

Thus, as the words of this line cross our lips, let us allow our hearts to lift to those heights of God’s eternal dwelling place. Let us allow our minds to move beyond the surface of things, and penetrate the deep things of God which lie just beyond the reach of our understanding, but yet have been revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

This is the second in a series of articles on the Our Father. This article was on the line, “Who art in Heaven.”