Part 3 of “Learning to Pray to Our Father”

“Seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:33). What Jesus eventually teaches his disciples in regard to the anxieties of life, he first teaches them in prayer. The one whom we call Father is neither reduced to nor limited by the many things we find around us in this world. He is not of this world. He is above us but bends down to us in our lowliness.

Jesus himself is that bending down. In being so, Jesus inclines us to lift up our eyes and our hearts to his Father, reigning in heaven. Christians, who have died with Christ in Baptism, must do one thing if we are to follow him into glory: set our hearts. We seek first God’s kingdom. We desire that kingdom most of all, because in desiring it, we desire God himself. He reigns in heaven; our dwelling with him is heaven.

The International Theological Commission, quoting Hans Urs von Balthasar, speaks of the finality of our relationship to God this way:

“God is ‘the last thing’ for the creature. Gained, he is heaven; lost, hell; testing, judgment; purifying, purgatory. He himself is that in which the finite dies and through which it rises again in him and to him. He himself is such that he turns himself to the world, namely; in his Son Jesus Christ who is the manifestation of God and therefore also the sum of the ‘last things’.”

“Gaining” God is heaven. Heaven is not some mere place; it is the presence of God; it is being present in God. For us, heaven is dwelling in His presence always.

For now, then, seeking God in heaven is a confession of our present lowliness and homelessness. We are below; he is above. Where we are now is not where we are called to be in the fullness of time: we do not yet dwell in His presence always. We are seekers: we seek God. That puts us in the position of longing to dwell with him, where he is, even as he has come to dwell with us, where we are: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

In teaching us to call upon God as Father “in heaven,” Jesus orients us to the end of all our desiring and to our final, true homeland. As St. Paul teaches on Christ’s behalf, “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1–2).

This petition is a matter of perspective – that is, of ultimate perspective.

Practice praying: I invite and challenge you to pray the Lord’s Prayer each day this week. In fact, pray it twice each day. Pray it once, then spend several minutes pondering the significance of the words “Who Art in Heaven.” Take a few minutes to write your thoughts in a prayer journal. Let Jesus point you to his Father. Then pray the Lord’s prayer again.

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Find more: This series draws on sections of my book Into the Heart of the Father: Learning from and Giving Yourself through Christ in Prayer. I am grateful to my publisher, Word Among Us Press, for allowing me to share these sections with you here. If you are interested, I hope you will check out the book – I think you’ll like it.

Study and pray with others: I have also designed a reading, prayer, and discussion guide for groups that would like to read the book and learn how to pray better together. This is ideal for parishes, schools, and families.