Let
us lift up our hearts and hands
to
God in heaven. ~ Lamentations 3:41
St Rose of Lima Catholic
School - Simi, California
“In the Bible, the heart is the hidden center of the person from
which one’s thoughts, emotions and actions originate. All intentions and commitments flow from the
human heart. Therefore, when the priest
at Mass says, “Lift up your
hearts,” he is summoning us to give our
fullest attention to what is about to unfold.
This is a “wake-up call” to set aside all other
concerns and focus our minds, wills and emotions - our hearts - on the sublimity
of what is happening in the Eucharistic prayer.
….
St Cyprian (d. A.D. 258), a North African Church Father, explained
how this prayer draws our attention away from worldly distractions and is meant
to lead us to ponder the awe-inspiring action taking place in the Eucharistic
prayer:
When we stand praying, beloved brethren, we ought to be watchful
and earnest with our whole heart, intent on our prayers. Let all carnal and worldly thoughts pass
away, nor let the soul at that time think on anything but
the object only of its prayers.
For this reason also the priest by way of preface before his prayer,
prepares the minds of the brethren by saying, Lift up your hearts, that so upon the
people’s response, We have them before
our Lord, he may be reminded that he himself ought to think of nothing but
our Lord.
Another Church Father, St Cyril of Jerusalem
Lift up
your hearts: For in
this sublime moment the heart should be lifted up to God,
and not be allowed to descend to the earth and to earthly concerns. With all possible emphasis the
sacrificing priest exhorts us in this hour to lay aside all the cares of this
life, all domestic worries, and direct our hearts to God in heaven who hath so
loved men. … Let there be none among you, who shall confess with his lips: We have lifted up our hearts, and allow his
thoughts to remain with the cares of this
life.”
Excerpt: A Biblical Walk
through the Mass - Understanding What We
Say and Do in the Liturgy (Pgs 96-97). ~ Edward Sri - 2011 (Ascension
Press)
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