Who Art In Heaven
One
Who art in Heaven
The CCC (2794) tells us this biblical expression does not mean a place, but a way of being. It does not mean that God is distant, instead it refers to two things. First, God Our Father is All-Powerful and Good, He is Majestic. Secondly, He is present in the souls of all those who love Him.
Let’s take the first one. To say God is in Heaven means first of all that Our Father, God, is Almighty. He created everything, He governs everything and He can do everything. Nothing is impossible with God. We may wonder, if that is true, then why does God allow bad things to happen? He allows it because Our Father wants us to be like Him so He made us free. Free to do what is good or do what is evil. But God is so all-powerful and all-good that he works all things for good for those who love him. That means no matter what happens. He will make it to be the very best for us in the end if we trust him. But we have to be careful not to lose our heads in the midst of difficulty and suffering and do something stupid to ruin it for ourselves while he is working it out.
I love this line from Isaiah 30:15, “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and trust you will find your strength.”
Two
Are we alone in the world?
When I ask most young people today, “What governs the universe?” Many respond and say, “Nothing.”
We live in fear because we forget that we are not at the mercy of random chaotic forces, evil selfish people, or even the devil and demons. Our lives are in the hands of God our Father and Mary our Mother. Within everything and above everything there is a person, God, who is our Father who is guiding all things for our greatest good. God is winning in you at every moment.
Because God Our Father governs the universe and all of human history, Jesus was able to reassure St. Julian of Norwhich with the words, “All shall be well, and all shall be well. All manner of things shall be.” The Revelations of Divine Love chapter 32
Three
To say that Our Father is in Heaven means also that God is present in our soul.
The most important and the most unknown or forgotten reality is that the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwells in the soul of those who love God. Heaven is within you.
St. Augustine wrote, “Our Father who art in heaven is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as in his holy temple.”
God is not outside of us, somewhere off in the distance, far away, so that if you try hard enough or if you get your act together, maybe you will be good enough, or strong enough to climb the mountain of God and see Him. No! The Most Holy Trinity dwells in your soul. He is a lot closer than you imagined. And all you have to do to find God is turn to Him present within you and talk with him, straight from the heart.
Four
Once we learn that God is present within our soul and that we can find him there and talk with him there, then we begin to learn what prayer is.
Pope Benedict said, “This is what prayer really is, being in silent inward communion with God. This silent presence of God at the heart of our thinking, our meditating and our being is what we mean by prayer without ceasing.”
Five
St. Faustina writes, “The moments which are most pleasant to me are those when I converse with the Lord within the center of my being. I try my very best not to leave him alone. He likes to be always with us…” Diary 1793
Resolution: Periodically today, stop what you are doing for a moment, close your eyes, breathe easily, and think about the fact that God lives in your heart. You are safe!