What is meant by "men have been raised up from the fall to far greater heights?" In Catholic theology it is said that "men have been raised up from the fall to far greater heights."1

What is meant by this and how are the "heights" of a different degree than our first parents' state in the Garden of Eden?

A fuller answer will also include the Orthodox meaning should they have the same theology.

1. E.g. Francisca Javiera del valle in "ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT".


  [...] because the mercy of the divine Word decided to raise him up from
  his fall to even greater heights.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 


  CCC 412 But why did God not prevent the first man from sinning? St. Leo the Great responds, "Christ's inexpressible grace gave us blessings better than those the demon's envy had taken away." and St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "There is nothing to prevent human nature's being raised up to something greater, even after sin; God permits evil in order to draw forth some greater good. Thus St. Paul says, 'Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more'; and the Exsultet sings, 'O happy fault,. . . which gained for us so great a Redeemer!'".


In brief, in Eden we had no Saviour, the Grace had not been shown to the fullest, and our "greater good" was out of reach.