As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, we are already seated with Christ at the Father’s right in the heavenly places. Our human nature has been glorified in Christ by its translation to heaven, and the life we live now is a life of pilgrimage to our true homeland, which is in the New Creation. Our conversatio should be spiritual and heavenly, the glory of the flesh purified and illuminated by the grace of baptism.
The Divine Liturgy greatly aids us in coming to recognize this truth. In the liturgy, we turn our minds, hearts and bodies toward Christ seated with the Father, and ask to be transformed from glory to glory in His likeness. This is the meaning of facing East: by turning in a common direction toward the reality that transcends any human project, we consent to God’s entrance into our lives. We learn to desire not only spiritual goods, but the Divine Life itself.
The Mystery of the Ascension teaches us that our true life is hidden with Christ in God. This a reality which requires effort to make manifest, most especially the effort of liturgical worship.