MYSTAGOGY –
EXPERIENCING THE MYSTERIES
In the RCIA
program, the period following the reception in to the Church is known as a
period of Mystagogy. Mystagogy is a time
where the mysteries of the Church are revealed to the new Catholics. It is revealed through their experience of
the Sacraments and through all that the Church offers them. Although teaching is involved, experience and
sharing about that experience is the way the mysteries are revealed. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
(Chicago, 1988) manual states: “. The purpose of the mystagogy is to enable the
newly baptized to draw from their sacramental experience a new sense of the
faith, the Church, and the world”. As a
leader in the RCIA program in my parish, I try to encourage our Neophytes to
experience as much as they can, the resources that the Church offers them. Truly, I believe that this is good for all
the people of the Church as well.
Those who
have gone through the RCIA program have experienced at Easter NEW LIFE. They are, in a spiritual sense, born
anew. I have truly seen, throughout the
years, a big change in them. They are
more alive in the faith. We established
Catholics have also been enlivened by experiencing all that Lent and Easter has
given us. Our faith should truly be
renewed. I believe that a period of
mystagogy is appropriate for us too. We
need to experience all that the Church offers us, and there is so much. We are constantly called to grow in our faith
by using the sacraments and other tools that the Church gives us. When we grow in our faith we become more of
who God wants us to be. When we do that,
we become happier, more fulfilled and more at peace. We can grow in our experience of all that
the Holy Spirit gives us by receiving the Spirit’s gifts and fruits. Literally, we can set the world on fire.
I would like
to share some of my thoughts on how to do this.
I thought that I would do this in a list format. Sometimes it is good to have a list of some
of the things that the Church can offer to us so that we can grow in our
faith. Here is a list (certainly not a
full one) of things that will help us to grow in our faith:
TWELVE STEPS TO HELP US GROW IN OUR
FAITH
1 – Go to
mass at least every Sunday. The mass
is the Summit and Source of our faith.
In the mass we hear God’s Word proclaimed and explained and we receive
the most precious gift of His Body and Blood.
We pray together and experience community and are sent forth. I attend daily mass because I believe it can
do more for me than anything else.
2 – Pray. When you are in Love with someone,
communication is a natural expression of that Love and a way that Love can
grow. Prayer is communication with God. There are so many ways to pray. I love praying the Liturgy of the Hours. It is now so easy to do and so available by
placing an app on your smart phone. I
use the ibreviary app. It is a no cost
app. Try it out, you will be glad that
you do. I would suggest at least praying
Morning prayer and Evening prayer.
I also like
to use what I call “gut” prayer. This is
totally spontaneous and can be done at any time. It comes from deep within us, our “gut”. Sometimes my gut prayer is filled with praise
and thanksgiving. Often it is filled
with “why me God?” And “why are you
allowing this to happen?” It is a
prayer of honesty and truth and feelings.
3 – Eucharistic
Adoration. This is also a form of
prayer, but it goes beyond regular prayer.
It is a time to adore the Lord as he is present to us in His Risen Body
in the Eucharist. It is certainly a time
for prayers of thanksgiving and praise but can also be a time for prayers of
supplication. I go to Eucharistic
Adoration at least once a week.
4 – The
Sacrament of Reconciliation. St.
Paul tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All means all. Christians too sin. Even the Pope goes to confession. There is no doubt that when I do something
that I know is wrong, or more often, fail to do something I know that I should
have done, I immediately ask for God’s forgiveness. However, it is very freeing to regularly
confess our sins to a priest and to hear him give us God’s forgiveness.
5 – The
Rosary. I love praying the
rosary. I try to do it every day. In the rosary you can meditate on the
mysteries of God’s touch to mankind. The
rosary is meant to be a meditative prayer where we literally focus on many of
the stories from the scriptures about our salvation. I look at it as a mini-course on God’s love
and action.
6 – The
Bible. The Bible is a special gift
that the Church has given to the world.
In it we hear God’s Word and receive direction and support for our
lives. Every liturgy that the Church
does has at least one reading from the Bible.
We should listen closely to it at every liturgy but it also should have
a special place in our homes. The Catholic
Church has given us the Bible and it is up to the Catholic Church to help us
understand it. I highly recommend using
a Catholic study guide; My favorite is The Word Among us. Going to a good Catholic Bible study is
great (stay away from Protestant ones as they can misinterpret the Bible). There are many online resources to help us
(see last page).
7 – Charity
and Service. Every Christian is
called to be a person of action. We are
called to feed the poor, heal the sick, visit the lonely and those in prisons
etc. Every parish has some sort of
ministry to help us do that. Check it
out and become involved. Put your faith
in to action.
8 – The
Blessed Virgin Mary. The Lord
literally gave His mother to us to help us in our journey towards Him. Since the very beginnings of the Church Mary
has been held in high esteem and has helped the Church and all Christians in
many ways. It is good to learn about
Mary and to ask her intercession in your life.
She loves you as her own son or daughter.
9 – The
Saints. The Saints were all ordinary
people just like you and me. They
struggled with the same things we struggled with and they were able to grow so
close to Jesus and follow Him that the Church assures us that they are in
heaven. They intercede for us in prayer
and they love it when we ask them to do so.
Try to learn as much as you can about the Saints and learn from them how
to follow the Lord.
10 – Go
on a Retreat. A retreat is simply a
time set aside for you to get away from the normal distractions in life and to
draw closer to the Love that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have for you. Some retreats have themes, and some are
simply quiet time with the Lord. Try
one, you will love it.
11 – Visit
Holy Sites. Throughout the world
there are places that one would consider a Holy Site. It might be one because of its history and
what happened there, or it could be just an ordinary place that has been set
aside for people to visit and grow closer to God. I have been fortunate to visit many Holy
Sites throughout the world, including the Holy Land, Rome and several places
where Mary has appeared. I have one Holy
Site nearby, The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island that I love to visit and
spend time with the Lord.
12 – Be
Proud to be Catholic. The more you learn
about the Church, the prouder you will be.
Yes, the Church is not perfect (the priest sex scandal shows us that),
but it is something that Jesus Himself started and maintains. No other organization on this planet has
lasted as long as the Church has. It is
an instrument of God’s grace. Let your
pride in the Church show. Tell others
about it.
There are so many other resources that the Church offers us that we should take advantage of. I have compiled a partial list of some important Internet Resources and include that here. There are also so many great books out there that you could (should) read. Perhaps another time I will look in to that. May our good Lord bless you in your walk with Him.
CATHOLIC INTERNET
RESOURCES
CATHOLIC WEB SITES
SITES EVERY
CATHOLIC SHOULD USE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR FAITH:
The
Vatican: www.vatican.va
(choose English in the menu at top right)
EWTN: www.ewtn.com
New Advent: www.newadvent.org
Catechism of
the Catholic Church: www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
US
Conference of Bishops: www.usccb.org
Catholic
Answers: www.catholic.com
News
Vatican: www.news.va
Catholic
News Service: www.catholicnews.com
Rome
Reports: (video news) www.romereports.com Choose English at top right
Jimmy Akin: www.jimmyakin.com
Life
Teen: (for Youth, but….) www.lifeteen.com
Amazing
Catechists: www.amazingcatechists.com
Cardinal
Newman Society: www.cardinalnewmansociety.org
Strange
Notions: www.strangenotions.com
uCatholic www.ucatholic.com
Catholic
Lane: www.catholiclane.com
Institute of
Catholic Culture: www.instituteofcatholicculture.org
FREE Catholic Courses
Word on
Fire: www.wordonfire.org
Dynamic Catholic: www.dynamiccatholic.org
CATHOLIC APPS FOR YOUR SMART PHONE:
Search your play store for these apps
Liturgy of
the Hours: ibreviary
Catholic
prayers and readings etc. laudate
Novena
prayers etc pray
Catholic
radio Relevant
Radio
The Bible Bible
Eternal Word
Network EWTN
Mass times Catholic
Mass times
Catholic
Dating Ckiss
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