Our citizenship is in Heaven
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.
(Philippians 3:20-21)
The sweet, simple hymn of Eastertide, the Regina Caeli, sings “He has risen, just as He said, alleluia”. It is difficult to wrap the mind around the profundity of Jesus’ ascension and its meaning to our own providential plan which God our Father has set before us. He took on our nature, yours and mine, suffered, died on the cross, resurrected, and ascended so as to pave the way for us to Heaven. He came not to be feared, but to be loved. The whole of the paschal mystery, His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, demonstrates this.
As the psalmist expresses, in our nature we were created to live in the house of the Lord all the days of our life (Psalm 27:4). We were created through Him, in Him, and for Him. It is in Him that we continue to exist (Colossians 1:16-17). In spite of this, it can be difficult to share our faith with others. Feeling inadequate to defend the faith leaves us tongue-tied.
But there is a difference between defending the faith and sharing it. God has given many theologians and apologists the gifts to teach and defend our faith. That may not be our ‘calling’. However, it is everyone’s calling to share the faith and, if we live it, it will exude from our very being. Our present experience of receiving His love, coupled with hope for our future eternity, gives us eyes of faith to see the world with love. By our baptism, we’ve been made holy—set apart. But to grow in His likeness, we must live His teachings. The stark contrast between the world’s perspective and God’s as we live and speak it also sets us apart.
By the grace of God I am what I am.
–1 Corinthians 15:10
To walk with Him we must walk like Him. We have been given the gift of discipleship and it is His desire that we be His instruments of conversion. We must imitate His gospel, asking His Spirit for the desire to live it. Then we must accept our imperfections which He will one day perfect when we join Him in paradise. He doesn’t want perfection, He wants love. This truth frees us to bring others to freedom in Christ. The world is suffocating in a smog of despair and self-hate masked in the cloak of ideologies that spout self-empowerment and self-worship. Only the breath of His Spirit can bring them back to life.
Our simple hymn concludes by asking Mary “Pray for us to God, alleluia”. Mary knew how our Father loved her and wants us to know this too. It is she who, by her yes, brought together our fallen nature and the glory of Heaven. Let her ‘yes’ become our own response to Him, putting aside all fear.
It has come to fruition that
A child born to die
Has arisen on up high
This child king is now
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊
Thank you for caring and sharing appropriately...
Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Except where noted, all design, writing and images ©2024 by Debra Black and TheFaceofGraceProject.com. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including downloading, photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission or to report violations please email: thefaceofgraceproject@gmail.com
