[Part I · Part II · Part III · Part IV]
“These Sacred Mysteries”
Part IV: The Mystery of Christ in You, Your Hope of Glory
The sacred mysteries, which are the mysteries of Christ, are for us and for our salvation, so much does God love us. Even in the words of the consecration, the fact that the mystery of redemption in Christ is a result of God’s love for us, is evident when the priest says: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.” The sacred mysteries which we celebrate are given to disciples, those who have believed and who have been baptized into the mystery of the life of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The mystery of Christ is a gift of God’s grace and is nothing that we could ever earn. It is the gift beyond all others. But it is a gift in which we participate, because of our baptism and all of our sacramental life. The Lord of Glory died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now is enthroned at the right hand of the Father. This same Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ, has invited us to share in his divine life and makes that life real through his sacraments. Christ is present, and God’s plan of salvation is being realized in our life in Christ. In him, we live and move and have our being. But we unite ourselves to him as well by embracing our joys and our sorrows, our weeping and our rejoicing, and ultimately our life and our death in the light of Christ and his suffering, death, resurrection, and glorification. Christian life is ultimately life transformed and transfigured, and always lived in union with the life of Christ himself. Let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
(to be continued next week)
Source: Rev. Kurt Belsole, OSB, Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA
www.liftupyourhearts.church