On Earth as it is in Heaven

Last updated on: December 26, 2014 at 8:04 am by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

On Earth as it is in Heaven 2014-12-26T08:04:14-05:00 Fr. Dwight Longenecker

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I want God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven? That begs the question of how his will is done in heaven, and we come to realize that in heaven there is nothing but His will being done, for there all things are in their proper and rightful places and all things are in harmony and all things fit. Not one discordant note, not one jarring step, not one tiny act of self will or rebellion.

Dante pictures heaven as each soul perfectly delighted to be in his proper place in relationship to God, and therefore in relationship with one another. The souls who are lower down in the celestial hierarchy are not disappointed with their place, but are blissful because they place they have is their proper place and as they exist in that proper place they realize that they too are totally and utterly fulfilled. They have come to the place they were created to be, and in this they not only reach their ultimate destiny and dignity, but they also achieve and are given the ultimate virtue–which is the virtue of humility.

So as we pray for this perfection and harmony of all things to be achieved here on earth as it is in heaven, then we begin to submit ourselves to that place for which we are created, and here is the great liberation of the Christian faith. We rely totally on grace and through that grace we are brought down ‘where we ought to be’, and in being brought down where we ought to be we are raised up where we ought to be.

His will being done on earth as it is in heaven means that we are also in perfect harmony with other people and with all of creation. What bliss this would be, if I could relate to each person with divine harmony! Furthermore, if that is achieved in my life (and I have become a saint thereby) then this grace is infectious. In other words, it is transmitted and shared with other people. The grace of perfection–of living in his will here on earth as it is in heaven–cannot help but be shared with other people. Grace flows to others through us. We are not only the recipients of divine grace, but through this action we are channels of that divine grace to those we meet and with whom we share.

So for the Divine Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven means no more and no less than living here in this present moment in total harmony with the Creator and all of Creation. It is Eden restored, we become Adam and Eve– redeemed and re-created by the graces given through the second Adam and the second Eve. That this is possible here on this earth as it is in heaven is seen in the lives of the saints. Here in this soiled world they have been given the power and grace to live in heaven already.

And if it is seen in the lives of the saints, then it is possible, and if it is possible, then it is possible for me.

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