For the Sake of the Gospel #17
The Mystery of Faith
The Eucharist

For the past two weeks I have been writing about “the mystery of faith.” Thus far I have said that the mystery of faith is not something to be solved but something to be lived and entered into. I noted that we first entered into this mystery through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection. Today, I would like to discuss the mystery of faith in relation to the Eucharist we receive each Sunday.

Every Sunday, at the beginning of Mass, the priest invites us to acknowledge our sins so that we may enter into the mystery we about to celebrate. Immediately after the consecration, the priest proclaims “the mystery of faith,” and we respond with one of three acclamations. If you listen carefully to the Mass, the word “mystery” occurs throughout the liturgy: in the prayers the priest recites and in the Eucharistic prayer. Finally, I end nearly all of my homilies by reminding you that we about to enter into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection by receiving the Eucharist.

The mystery of faith is our participation in Christ’s saving death and resurrection. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist we participate in Christ’s death and enter into his life-giving resurrection. For example, St. Paul reminds us that as often as we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again (1 Cor 11:26). The Apostle also reminds us that the cup of blessing we bless is a participation in the blood of Christ and the bread that we break is a participation in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16). Put another way, the Mass is not a spectator sport. It is not something we watch and admire; it is a mystery into which we enter ever more deeply every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

Some people complain that the Mass is boring; it is the same old thing over and over again. Well, yes, and no. The Mass is repetitive. It follows a certain order that is repeated from week to week. But the Mass is hardly boring, except for those who are boring! If we understand the mystery of faith, the Eucharist is the most vibrant activity of our lives. It is the way in which we participate and live out the central mystery of our faith: the death and resurrection of Christ.

How could the Mass be boring? We are entering into Christ’s death! How could the Mass be boring? We are entering into Christ’s resurrection! For those who understand the mystery of faith, the Eucharist is ever new, ever different, because we enter more deeply and profoundly into a mystery whose meaning we will never exhaust, even when we stand in God’s presence.

Next month, November, I will begin a series of columns entitled Life after Death?

Father Matera