One of the really talented Vincentian priests it has been my fortune to come in contact with is Fr. Pat Griffin. The famvin website posted earlier today a homily Pat recently gave. In it he suggested some reasons we might spend time each day “looking up to heaven and anticipating the Lord’s imminent return.”
First of all, in the Liturgy, we pray for the Lord’s return. Advent and Christmas Season advance the constant refrain: “maranatha,” “come, Lord Jesus.” We want the Lord to draw near and soon. In the Our Father, we anticipate and yearn for the coming of the Lord: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.” We want God to establish the divine rule and ways among us, and that is done most fully with the return of Jesus in glory. Since we pray in earnest for this reality, it seems sensible to take a peek every now and then to see if the Lord whom we seek approaches. After all, we wait in joyful hope for that moment.
Secondly, we turn our eyes, minds, and hearts heavenward when we pray. We are so trained and inclined that looking up seems the most natural way to speak to the Lord. We think of our prayers tending up as incense rises and our hands point upward. We can hardly keep our eyes from following the direction in which all our symbolism places the throne of God.
Thirdly, we look up because it reflects our dignity. Bowing low and putting our face to the ground makes sense when we are so conscious of our sinfulness. When we remember, however, how much God loves us, and how he has made us in the divine image and likeness, and how much he yearns that we be joined to him forever, we cannot but look up to seek the face of God, eagerly turned toward us. We feel moved to do so as his beloved daughters and sons.
He ended his homily by suggesting that “even now, in this Easter Season, we pray: “maranatha,” “Come, Lord Jesus.” We look to heaven for that glorious advent.”
You can read the entire homily at the link above.
Creo en Dios! 