Heavenly mysteries

How often do we talk about what happens at church? Not very. There are seriously mysterious things happening at every Mass. We actually call them "sacred mysteries" at the beginning of Mass and "the mystery of faith" right after the Consecration of the Eucharist. Mysterious actions along with mysterious words and teachings from the readings...and they are heavenly mysteries. They play out right in front of us week after week, yet we don't talk about it much at all.

There is a group in the Church who is talking it out these days. They are those adults who were baptized, confirmed, and made their first Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. The period they are in now is known as "Mystagogia". This literally means talking about the mysteries they received and took part in at the Vigil. Those who prepared them for the sacraments are listening to them about what it was like to receive the sacraments for the first time as well as explain the rites and the symbols that were used. Whenever I have led these discussions, they have been so enlightening and inspiring!

At our men's group on Saturday, I explained the parts of the Mass. One man said that we should have recorded it. The crux of my talk came from the USCCB doc online, "the structure and meaning of the Mass". It's beneficial to learn about the Mass, and it that way to have the mysteries (somewhat) explained. But, it really is important and helpful to talk about our personal and spiritual experiences at Mass and in the sacraments. The Church can really assist us to gain a better understanding of the mysteries of heaven, and thus approach God in a more relatable way.