All true religion consists in having our hearts in Heaven, and not on earth; in seeking those things that are above, in looking for our happiness in Heaven rather than here. Sursum corda--"Lift up your hearts," is the instruction given by the priest in Holy Mass, before the Consecration. The object of all our prayers, of all the sacraments and sacramentals, is to raise our hearts to Heaven. This is why we are reminded that God is in Heaven, that He, from whom all good things come, is, above all, our Father in Heaven. Do I bear in mind the fact that Heaven, and not earth, is my true home?

God is everywhere, as we learn from the Catechism. But He is, in a special manner, in Heaven. His most faithful servants are in Heaven. Heaven is His throne, as the Psalmist tells us, and earth is only His footstool. There He dwells in the inaccessible light to which no mortal man can approach and live. The glory of Heaven reminds us of the glory, the dignity, the infinite majesty of the God of Heaven, and of the reverence we owe to Him, to His saints, to His priests, and to those earthly temples where He is as really present as in Heaven itself.

The fact that our Father is in Heaven is also intended to kindle our hope. Where our Father is, our true home must be. St. Paul tells us (Philipp. iii. 20) that our conversation is in Heaven, because from thence it is that we look for Our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall reform the body of our lowliness and make it like to His glorious Body, and place it, resplendent with beauty, before the throne of "our Father in Heaven."