And with all the company of heaven

There have been many occasions in the last few days when I have been reminded about the closeness of heaven to our lives. Some reminders have been painful and others more pleasant, even uplifting and regenerating. Nothing reminds us more so than the reading from Mass this morning, the narration of the transfiguration of Christ. In a dramatic revelation for those closest to Christ, whose minds were willing to see the revealed truth, he was transfigured before them. Christ bridged the gap between heaven and earth.

The temptation to think of heaven as somewhere far off that our little souls float off to as we shuffle off our mortal coils is convenient and very neat solution. It means we do not have to think about the complexities involved in the intertwining of our lives and that of the divine. Yet, we bring ourselves to Mass each week (hopefully) and witness right before us that intertwining of the mesh of heaven and earth. Our Priest invites us to join with all of heaven with these words :-

"Therefore with angels and archangels,

and with all the company of heaven"

Then after the Sanctus, we ourselves see the bridging of the gap as the bread and wine before us is transformed into Jesus at the hands of our Priests. 

When we stop and pause, when our minds are open and willing we can see the divine touch our lives. Be it in moments of pain and anguish or those of joy, God is closer than we like to think. He is there and present in every part of our lives. Sometimes his presence is thrust before us in obvious ways, such as through the sacraments. At other times he touches us in more gentle ways through the ways our lives are shaped. Maybe we should be more aware of how close God is to our lives and view the wonders and miracles of our lives with a more open mind.There are so many beautiful miracles all around us. We are so busy rushing and bustling around that we don't open our minds to the true miracle of life itself.

This week as we enter into Lent, may Christ touch your lives and mine in new ways each and every day. May we learn to see the divine in all around us, that in turn we may treat our life and others with the respect they deserve.