Patristic Quote of the Day

At first, after the prayer, you are admonished to lift up your heart. This befits the members of Christ. For, if you have become members of Christ, where is your Head? Members have a head. If the Head had not preceded, the members would not follow. Where has your Head gone? What did you recite in the Creed? 'On the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; He sits at the right hand of the Father.' Therefore, our Head is in heaven. Hence, when the 'Lift up your heart' is said, you answer: 'We have [them lifted up] to the Lord.' Then, because this lifting up of your hearts to God is a gift of God and lest you should attribute to your own strength, your own merits, and your own labors the fact that you have your hearts thus lifted up to the Lord, after the answer, 'We have our hearts lifted up to the Lord,' the bishop or priest who is officiating also says: 'Let us give thanks to the Lord our God, because we have our hearts raised up to Him. Let us give thanks to Him, because if He did not give [the grace], we would have our hearts fixed on the earth.' And you bear witness to this, saying: 'It is right and just for us to give thanks to Him who caused us to raise our hearts up to our Head.' -- St. Augustine, Homily 227