“So then, the lord Jesus after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. 
But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”
~ Saint Mark 16:19-20

The Ascension, art by William Blake, 1805

God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavens, says Saint Paul. Does this mean that it is wrong to have both feet on the ground, to actively work for a better world? Of course not. Living with a focus on heaven must make one even more engaged in the well-being of the world. Heaven is love, the giving and receiving of love. And the one who carries heaven in his or her heart will even now love as much as that makes it possible. In this way, life on earth becomes more like life in heaven—a little of heaven comes down to earth.

We are the body of Christ on earth. Jesus, our head, is in heaven. It is the head that directs the members of the body. If we really live as Christians, our actions are guided by a heavenly code. Christ, our head, leads us in all that we do. To have our heart in heaven and heaven in our heart doesn’t just mean that we long for heaven. It also means that we live life on earth in a heavenly way.

The members who let themselves be used, who let the head determine what they are to do, accomplish something lasting here on earth. But those who want to function without contact with the head will only cause confusion and chaos.

If you share communion with Christ in your heart, you are already now living a heavenly life. And, together with him, you are to lead others to the Father.

~ A Meditation by Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen, O.C.D.