The fullness of the mystery of Christ is completed in humanity; thus, it depends on us human beings and our participation in the mystery of Christ. Because the non-human material world depends on us humans for its completion in God, it, too, is part of the mystery of Christ but can only participate in this mystery in and through the human person. How does this relationship between Christ and humanity relate to the humility of God? Well, if God bends over in love for us in and through the Word incarnate, then we who are little “words” must bend over in love for one another and for all creation if the universe is to find its fulfillment in Christ. God’s humble love must live in us through grace and freedom.
So, I will pose the great spiritual problem in this way: “How do we stand against hate without becoming hate ourselves?” We would all agree that evil is to be rejected and overcome; the only question is, how? How can we stand against evil without becoming a—denied—mirror image of the same? That is often the heart of the matter which, in my experience, is only resolved successfully by a very small portion of people, even though it is quite clearly resolved in the life, teaching, and death of Jesus… Both sides of this paradox are presented as inseparable—there is no life without death, there is no death without life. We call it the paschal or Passover mystery.
God wants useable instruments who will carry the mystery, the weight of glory and the burden of sin simultaneously, who can bear the darkness and the light, who can hold the paradox of incarnation—flesh and spirit, human and divine, joy and suffering, at the same time, just as Jesus did. Watch what Jesus does and do the same thing! That, indeed, is hard… This is the only goodness that is available to humans, but it is more than enough. As Jesus himself will later say, “God alone is good” (Mark 10:18). Such a text gives us both glorious and non-inflating goals. There is no appeal to the ego here, only to our need and desire for union—with our own selves and with God.
On the first Sunday after Pentecost the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This revealed doctrine of God’s nature is that the eternal God is one in essence and being, yet three distinct persons—God the Father, God the Son (the Incarnate Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This is the central and greatest mystery of the Christian faith. An everlasting and loving union with the Holy Trinity is the final end for which mankind is created. The divine inner life of the Holy Trinity is generously given to us as sanctifying grace through the Church’s Sacraments, which is fully and perfectly possessed by the saints in heaven.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the reliving of the final seven days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. On this day the Church recalls the triumphal entrance of the Messiah into Jerusalem in order to accomplish the Pascal Mystery: His Passion, death, burial, and resurrection for the salvation of all mankind. Jesus rode into the city on a colt as the crowd laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road before him, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest!”
If we are to come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity, then we will come to that belief by developing the capacity for a simple, clear, and uncluttered presence. Those who can be present with head, heart, and body at the same time will always encounter The Presence, whether they call it God or not. For the most part, those skills are learned by letting life come at us on its own terms, and not resisting the wonderful underlying Mystery that is everywhere, all the time, and offered to us too.
“The Passion is described as the mystery of Christ’s suffering. It was a mystery at the time because people could not reconcile it with what they had expected. In the sense that we can never fully understand the idea of God suffering, the Passion is still a mystery. Now if our sufferings are somehow or other to fit into the Passion of Christ—and this is no fiction because this is where they belong—there will surely be an element of mystery about them. They will make demands on our faith.”—Fr. Hubert van Zeller, OSB
On Saturday afternoon, I was on my way to make a house call to an 88 year-old man who has cancer. So, I’m driving out in the country, and I see a hearse coming the other way. Hmmm…maybe I should have called first. He is fine.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Every priest and bishop in the world has heard, “Father, the Church has too many rules; why can’t it get rid of some of them?” You know, that’s a fair question, and it could be true; however, it comes to mind that Jesus gave us a few rules too and so did the apostles. We are just following what they taught. “But, why do we have to follow all these rules?” First of all, if you don’t, I’ll break your knee caps…that’s from the Italian School of Instruction. Boom! What are rules? Rules are the teachings of the Church. What is the purpose of these rules? They are designed to focus our attention on the core of our faith…that Christ is physically present in the Most Blessed Sacrament and that He offers Himself to us…the most precious body and blood at Holy Communion. The mystery of transubstantiation is the same one as in the Upper Room. We are fed by the hand of the bishop or priest the same Holy Communion, body, blood, soul, and divinity, as the apostles. There is no difference. The sacrifice that He offers us from the cross before the Father is given everyday by every priest throughout the world. This is the central mystery of our faith.
You see references to John 3:16 a lot around the county. If they read further in the gospel, they would know that our Lord said, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. …” (John 6:53). “Well, they meant something else.” But, that’s not what the original version says. It uses the word “masticate” which means we must chew and take it inside ourselves. That’s the meaning of the original Greek word. That’s what we do, and that is the mystery of our faith. When the apostles received Holy Communion, did they taste the flesh and blood? No, and neither do we. I don’t taste the drugs when I take my meds. Do you? All these rules are there to guide us and remind us of the central mystery of our faith. They help us focus on the truth.
The rules the Church teaches were not made up out of thin air. Rules about showing respect when you enter the church include genuflecting, no eating or drinking one hour before Mass, no gum chewing, this is not a cafeteria, no cell phone use, and being quiet in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. You’ve heard me say “Shhhh” a few times. What is the purpose of showing respect? It points to the central mystery of our faith. The most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity is here in the Real Presence of our dear Lord. Every rule we have focuses on that central mystery of our faith. The sacrifice of our Lord comes down to us, is given to us and is present for us in the most Blessed Sacrament. This is the central mystery of our faith. Everything in the Church points to that. “Well, Father, why can’t other people, non-Catholics and those not practicing the faith, receive Holy Communion…It’s the most loving thing to do.” Saint Paul says we aren’t supposed to do that. Now, if you think you are greater than Saint Paul, be my guest. However, I’m going with what Saint Paul said.
We follow and profess the Real Presence and have since the beginning. This is the true body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Unless you eat and drink from it, you may not have eternal life. We have believed this from the beginning. Christ Himself, the apostles, and the Doctors of the Church down through time have remained unchanged. This is our faith. You know, I took four vows: Poverty, Chastity, Obedience, and a vow to protect the Blessed Sacrament with my life. This is why I don’t let lay people give communion. “I’m a Eucharistic Minister…I want to take communion home to my wife.” Uh, no. I’m going to hurt your feelings real quick. No. Are you a priest? “No.” Then, too bad. We practice what we believe. All of our so called “rules” point to the one central mystery. Do you think I like going “Shhh” to people? Well, yeah, I do, but besides that….I’m trying to do better…but besides that…Everything we do here points to our Good Lord. The beauty of our church, the beauty of the vestments, and the beauty of the sacramentals all point to what we believe. This is the central mystery of our faith. So, all of those rules that you see being taught…I know, like you, I don’t like to be taught, because I think I know everything…they all point to the central mystery of our faith. The mystery of our faith is what? Well, I’ll give you credit, because the question is unfair. You get extra credit if you realized that. The mystery of our faith is a “Who.” It is Jesus Christ, and it is He who has given us the divine nature and appearance of the most precious body and blood for centuries. People say they want to receive Holy Communion like it’s an “it.” Holy Communion is not an it. Holy Communion is a “Who.”
How will you apply this message to your life? Do you follow the rules of the Church?
