Day 29, Nicene Creed, 21st Line

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

The right hand of the Father is not a physical location, because the Father is not a physical being. Instead, in the Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas describes a couple of meanings for this statement.

First, it's imagery drawn from royalty of this world where a king’s right hand symbolizes his favor. To be seated at the king's right hand is to rule alongside him. So in this sense, Jesus is favorably ruling alongside God the Father.

Second, Aquinas says that to be seated also means to dwell, and right hand of the Father also means the Father’s eternal bliss. So this statement can be understood to mean that Jesus dwells in the Father’s eternal bliss.

As the Church, we remember that we are Jesus' body with Christ Himself as the head. He has entered heaven in His fully glorified human form, paving the way for the rest of us who will also dwell with Him in the Father’s eternal bliss.

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This reflection is a part of By Heart: A Lenten Prayer Project.

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