Living the Life of the Paschal Mystery Part One

Living the life of the Paschal Mystery

Part 1 of two parts

St. Paul relates the Mystery of the Church in Colossians where he rejoices in the suffering he bears for the sake of his followers.  (Col 1: 24 - 26). Jesus also rejoiced in his sufferings, not with the joy of receiving something earthly, but with the knowledge that his mission was complete.  

We, the people of God, Christ’s Bride, are being prepared through this Mystery that begins with understanding of what suffering is all about and the reason the Father allowed it.  

“The wonderful works of God among the people of the OLd Testament were but a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to God.  He accomplished this work principally by the Paschal mystery of his blessed Passion, Resurrection, from the dead, and glorious Ascension, whereby ”dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.”  For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.  For this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery by which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation.”   (CCC 1067).

Suffering brings to mind the many individuals who contract cancer, severe heart maladies, diabetic people who lose legs and suffer kidney failure, among the many other human frailties that find death is sometimes the only relief they’ll know.  Yet, without suffering Paul could not have convinced his followers the urgency of seeking God when all others failed.  If Jesus had not gone through the many scourges he received, not just at the post, but the ignoring of his word as well, how many would have believed him?

“His Paschal mystery is a real event that occurred in our history, but it is unique:  all other historical events happen once, and then they pass away, swallowed up in the past.  The Paschal mystery of Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed death, and all that Christ is - all that he did and suffered for all men - participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being made present in them all.  The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything toward life.”  (CCC second half  of 1085).  

The Cross and all of Jesus’ other ignominy should have been more than anyone should have to endure.  However, there is much more we need to look into that still needs to be accomplished.  “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh  I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church.”  (Col 1: 24).  It's not that Christ didn’t suffer enough, but what remains for all of us, as the Church, must adhere to what is missing if our attitude becomes one of passive acceptance.    

“To accomplish so great a work” - the dispensation or communication of his work of salvation - “Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations.  He is present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his minister, “ the same now offering , through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross,” but especially in the Eucharistic species.  By his power he is present in the sacraments so that when anybody baptizes, it is really Christ himself who baptizes.  He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church.  Lastly, he is present when the Church prays and sings, for he has promised, “where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.”  (CCC 1088).

Paschal is the English adjectival form of the Greek word pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew word pesach which means passover.  As we read about the passover of the angel of death, the Hebrews awaited centuries before the Passion of Christ that is the precursor of their salvation, and ours for eternity.

Ralph B. Hathaway