The Mysteries as signs
(Fr. Maroun Moubarak, M.L.M.)
“The Mysteries as signs” – By Fr. Maroun Moubarak, M.L.M.
Meeting on the First Wednesday of January, 2000 – Church of St. Sharbel, Adonis.
(Note: This is a transcription of an audio recording of the talk, hence its colloquial style).
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/alasrar-kaalamat-llab-maroun-mbark
1- Last time we talked about “The Church as a Mystery of Salvation,” and we focused on the Mysteries, which is also our topic today.
We explained the three meanings of the word “Mystery”: Mystery means, first, a “secret;” second, it means “a visible sign of an invisible reality,” and this encompasses all seven Mysteries (which will be our topic today): a clear, tangible reality that conveys a hidden reality.
For instance, water is materially used for washing, irrigation, and growing life. In baptism, this same matter signifies the hidden work of the Holy Spirit who washes the original sin which we inherited from Adam, and gives birth to the new person in us. Water symbolizes the action of the Holy Spirit who plants grace in us so that the image of Christ may be imprinted in us.
The third meaning of Mystery is “a great, uncontainable reality,” such as the dogma of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We cannot contain this belief, but, on the contrary, the more we learn about it, the more we realize how much more we need to learn. Our mind is unable to contain God’s reality. It is a “mystery.”
2- We focus tonight on the visible sign which conveys a reality to us. Our topic is “The Mysteries as signs.”
a- Meanings of signs and symbols:
The swaddling clothes (Luke 2:12): when the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they said: And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
The red sky (Matthew 16:1-3). Jesus said to the Jews: “You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.” The red sky is a sign of weather and nature.
John 11:35-36. Jesus wept for Lazarus: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus felt sad, he wept. Those tears are a sign of his love for Lazarus and his sadness for his death. “See how he loved him.” We see love through signs.
Mark 14:44. Judas betrays Jesus. “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (This is actually from Luke 22:48 – Abouna Rodrigue) Judas betrayed Jesus after coordinating with the Jews, and he said to them: “The man I shall kiss is the one.” Judas’ kiss is a sign of his betrayal.
Galatians 2:9. The Apostles gave each other “their right hands” as a sign of “partnership.” The apostles’ greeting is a sign of unity: the community of Apostles greeted each other with a weapon-free hand, with no fear or hatred; a sign of the union of their hearts.
The Gospel, then, gives us examples of events from daily life that are full of sings that may come from people (e.g., the swaddling clothes) pointing us to Jesus. Here is the Son of God who took a body. There are also things or signs from nature (the red sky), a reality, a person, an object, or a situation; there are acts (kiss, tear) that point toward other realities. Recognizing Jesus through his swaddling clothes, for example; predicting hot weather from a red sky; Judas’ kiss as a sign of his betrayal.
All these are signs…and Mysteries are specific signs in our life that point toward realities that we are called to discover.
One spiritual author said: “A sign is a proposition in our life that transposes us to another proposition related to the first proposition.”
From “word,” I, then, cross to “reality.” There is a connection between them. A link. If we lose this link between one proposition and another, we lose the meaning of the sign. For instance, if I say “water cleans,” and then I see water in the baptismal font, I come to believe that water gives life and erases sin. But if I only see water, and lose the connection to the first proposition, the sign loses its meaning, and water remains ordinary for me.
That is why in the Church we live through the Mysteries. The bread on the altar is called the Host. The Syriac equivalent for the term “Host” is “foorshono,” and it comes from the verb “frash,” which means “to separate.” In the old days, everyone would come to church carrying a portion of his harvest, and, at the door of the church, there would be two deacons: one sitting behind a table, and the other carrying two tablets (called Diptychs). On one tablet would be written the names of the living, on the other the names of the deceased. The first deacon would take the gifts or offerings given for certain intentions, and the other deacon would write the names on the appropriate tablet. When the time came to enter the church, the deacons would “separate” some of the bread (this is the “fourshono,” the Host) and they carry it with the Diptychs to the altar, while singing “Holy, Holy, Holy are you…” These Hosts (or altar bread) become offerings when the priest prays the institution narrative over them.
Unfortunately, in our world today, this reading of the signs is missing. We, who are always surrounded by noise and always in rush, no longer know how to stop and look at nature and say: “Praise be to God who created this beautiful world.”
That’s why it is important tonight to talk about signs, so we realize the importance of time and learn to see how God intervenes in our lives and gives us signs. The problem of our generation is a problem of time management.
Do I really know how to see and savor the signs of God’s presence in my life? This is an essential question. We need to learn to connect one proposition to another, the meaning of different things, in order to discover the overall meaning of our lives. These signs are the Mysteries of the Church.
b- The effects of the sign: What are the effects of signs in people’s lives?
Signs are present in our lives and have effects. It is important, not only to discover their meaning, but also to discover their effects:
1- The first effect of signs in people’s lives is the increase of knowledge: the more we analyze a sign, the vaster our knowledge. Take the color red, for example. In the sky it forecasts hot weather. Also, when we say “there is no smoke without fire,” this means that we have learned that the smoke is a sign that there is a fire. Whoever can read the signs keeps on learning more and more. When we read the signs and facts, we understand better the facts of life, and, consequently, our relationship with our neighbor becomes easier. So, by reading the signs, our ability to analyze events and facts increases.
2- Signs tie closer a person’s interior and exterior, and this allows us to know him better: a person does not usually show us his true self, but we are able to detect the signs that he gives out: his words, voice, and gestures are external, concrete signs that express his inner state. For example, Jesus’ love for Lazarus showed thought his tears. A person’s interior is a deep mystery. Each one of us is a rich mystery full of the Spirit, to whom the Lord has given gifts and talents, and whom He made is His image. We have no right to judge a person unless he gives us signs that show his interior through his external actions. This connection, then, between the interior and the exterior increases our knowledge of one another.
3- Signs are a source of, and nourishment for, psychological states:
This example is taken from the French book “Du Fond de l’Abîme, Seigneur” which talks about concentration camps in Nazi Germany, where they forced prisoners to roll in the mud in order to humiliate them, render them dirty and dislikable, and destroy their morale, because dirt signifies self-neglect and self-rejection. One of the women at the concentration camp decided to, and insisted on, cleaning her shoes everyday as a sign for her that the soldiers will not destroy her morale, and as a sign of rejecting humiliation and embracing self-care and high morale.
External signs that a person exhibits express her psychological states.
Indeed, if you live according to a certain regimen, this means that your life is under control. External discipline is a sign that you hold the reins of your life.
French philosopher Pascal famously said: “If you lose the fervor of faith, kneel down and pray, and you will regain your fervor.” External signs, then, nourish our inside and our inner person, and nourish our psychological states.
4- Signs are efficient means
Signs are not only good means to expand our knowledge, and for nourishing our psychological states and our internal and spiritual dimensions, but they also help us impact the outside world. In Genesis 2:19, for example, when God asked Adam to name the animals, this was a sign of man’s authority over animals. In another example from the Bible, Simon was named Peter: Simon, which in Hebrew means “the one who hears,” became “the Rock.” He was transformed from Simon, “hearer of my word,” to Simon “upon whom I will build my Church.” The same goes for the baptismal candidate, the monk, and the nun. Changing the name is a sign of new creation or new life.
Signs, then, are efficient means.
5- Signs are means of communication between people
Communicating through words and conventional expressions may be problematic, because these words and expressions may differ from one area to another, as do people’s accents. Even a pause between words can mean different things in different countries. Italians, for instance, talk more with their hands than with their words. Gestures are signs of communication between people, and signs are a means of communication using gestures, traditions, and fashion. All this makes communication between people easier.
6- Signs are a means of relationship between God and man…and this is the crux of our topic.
They are the means God employs to enter in a relationship with us. Signs are relationships. God reveals himself, and then, through signs, helps man understand the nature, meaning and concept of this relationship.
The Old Testament is full of relationships:
People: Moses, Abraham, Ezekiel, Joseph, the prophets, etc.
Events: Mount Sinai, the desert, etc.
Things: Isaac’s sacrifice, the manna and the quail, the paschal lamb, etc.
These are all signs through which God communicates his presence and attentiveness to us.
Also in the New Testament: all of Jesus’ actions and sayings are signs of God’s presence and mercy. Jesus summarized this by saying: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 9:14).
Jesus, then, is the Sign of the Father who became flesh so we can see, not only God, but also what God does for us. This is what’s special about Jesus. He called us also to be, like him, signs of God’s presence, one of the Mysteries of the Church, just like Jesus is the Mystery of the Father.
When we pray we respond to God’s intervention. We express our faith, as if we were saying: “Lord, we believe in your intervention in our lives, and we respond to your intervention.” God took the initiative to enter our lives through the seven Mysteries , to pour his graces in our lives, and to motivate us to respond. God intervenes in our lives through signs, and we too respond through signs. These are the seven Mysteries that the Church has defined for us, based on her teachings throughout history in the councils.
c- The spiritual meaning of the Mysteries:
The seven Mysteries have a meaning. The Catechism of the Catholic Church issued by the Pope teaches us what they mean:
Baptism, Confirmation, Penance and Reconciliation (Confession), Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick.
These seven Mysteries have five spiritual meanings:
1- They are the sign of Christ who instituted the Mysteries: “We profess that the Mysteries of the New Law were all instituted by Jesus Christ” (Council of Trent, The Canons on the Mysteries ).
Jesus, then, is the one who instituted these Mysteries. “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” “Do this in memory of me.” St. James says: “Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil.” “What God has joined, no man shall separate.”
Jesus came to fully infuse our lives with his life. He hid the fullness of his life inside the Mysteries. This is why, when I go to Church to celebrate the Liturgy (not to “attend” the Liturgy), to participate in the Holy Sacrifice, I participate and allow Christ to participate in my life. I participate with my brothers and sisters, not in a mundane task, but in the work of Christ.
The Mysteries are the power that comes out of Jesus to strengthen and fortify us. I go to Church to pray the way Jesus wants me to, which is also what the Church wants. This means, for example, confessing my sins to a priest, and not just between me and God.
These Mysteries and signs help us experience God’s presence in our relationship with him, and by worshipping him the way he wants us to, and not any way we want.
2- These Mysteries were discovered by the Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who has worked in her throughout history, and they are seven in total. Therefore, these Mysteries work in the Church and build her. There is no Church without the Eucharist. The Mysteries make the Church and are made by the Church. The right relationship with God, the way he wants it, happens in the midst of the Church. The Church is the foundation which allows us to go deeper.
3- The Mysteries are connected to faith: “Go, baptize and preach.” Jesus tied the Mysteries, preaching and teaching to the foundation of the Christian community.
Jesus is the one who willed the existence of the Mysteries.
My prayer is an expression of my faith. Prayer does not only come out of the mouth, by out of the mouth linked to the heart.
4- Mysteries are tied to salvation. Mysteries are efficient because Jesus is at work through them. “I absolve of all your sins in the name of the Father…” The hand of Christ uses the hand of the priest to absolve sin. This is why reconciliation and baptism are efficient, because Jesus is the one using them. Jesus, then, works through them. Otherwise, our faith would weaken. The Holy Spirit works mysteriously, but directly, in the Mysteries.
5- Mysteries are tied to eternal life. They prepare us to enter heaven, if we experience the concrete signs which Jesus entered so he can enter in a relationship with us. In the Divine Liturgy, we anticipate the heavenly banquet. We grow here and are nourished by His love. Here is a prototype of life there. Here we prepare and get ready for eternal life. No one could go there if unprepared. We start here by living in this earthly heaven through the Mysteries that bring us closer to God.
Question:
How to learn to read the signs of Christ’s presence in our lives?
Is Christ present only in the Eucharist, or do I also see his presence through other signs, such as the Mystery of reconciliation and other situations? Does he teach me through people and events? Does he only nourish me through the Bible and the Divine Liturgy?
Where, then, to learn to read the signs of Christ’s presence?
Amen.
Meeting on the First Wednesday of January, 2000 – Church of St. Sharbel, Adonis.
(Note: This is a transcription of an audio recording of the talk, hence its colloquial style).
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/alasrar-kaalamat-llab-maroun-mbark
1- Last time we talked about “The Church as a Mystery of Salvation,” and we focused on the Mysteries, which is also our topic today.
We explained the three meanings of the word “Mystery”: Mystery means, first, a “secret;” second, it means “a visible sign of an invisible reality,” and this encompasses all seven Mysteries (which will be our topic today): a clear, tangible reality that conveys a hidden reality.
For instance, water is materially used for washing, irrigation, and growing life. In baptism, this same matter signifies the hidden work of the Holy Spirit who washes the original sin which we inherited from Adam, and gives birth to the new person in us. Water symbolizes the action of the Holy Spirit who plants grace in us so that the image of Christ may be imprinted in us.
The third meaning of Mystery is “a great, uncontainable reality,” such as the dogma of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We cannot contain this belief, but, on the contrary, the more we learn about it, the more we realize how much more we need to learn. Our mind is unable to contain God’s reality. It is a “mystery.”
2- We focus tonight on the visible sign which conveys a reality to us. Our topic is “The Mysteries as signs.”
a- Meanings of signs and symbols:
The swaddling clothes (Luke 2:12): when the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they said: And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
The red sky (Matthew 16:1-3). Jesus said to the Jews: “You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.” The red sky is a sign of weather and nature.
John 11:35-36. Jesus wept for Lazarus: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus felt sad, he wept. Those tears are a sign of his love for Lazarus and his sadness for his death. “See how he loved him.” We see love through signs.
Mark 14:44. Judas betrays Jesus. “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (This is actually from Luke 22:48 – Abouna Rodrigue) Judas betrayed Jesus after coordinating with the Jews, and he said to them: “The man I shall kiss is the one.” Judas’ kiss is a sign of his betrayal.
Galatians 2:9. The Apostles gave each other “their right hands” as a sign of “partnership.” The apostles’ greeting is a sign of unity: the community of Apostles greeted each other with a weapon-free hand, with no fear or hatred; a sign of the union of their hearts.
The Gospel, then, gives us examples of events from daily life that are full of sings that may come from people (e.g., the swaddling clothes) pointing us to Jesus. Here is the Son of God who took a body. There are also things or signs from nature (the red sky), a reality, a person, an object, or a situation; there are acts (kiss, tear) that point toward other realities. Recognizing Jesus through his swaddling clothes, for example; predicting hot weather from a red sky; Judas’ kiss as a sign of his betrayal.
All these are signs…and Mysteries are specific signs in our life that point toward realities that we are called to discover.
One spiritual author said: “A sign is a proposition in our life that transposes us to another proposition related to the first proposition.”
From “word,” I, then, cross to “reality.” There is a connection between them. A link. If we lose this link between one proposition and another, we lose the meaning of the sign. For instance, if I say “water cleans,” and then I see water in the baptismal font, I come to believe that water gives life and erases sin. But if I only see water, and lose the connection to the first proposition, the sign loses its meaning, and water remains ordinary for me.
That is why in the Church we live through the Mysteries. The bread on the altar is called the Host. The Syriac equivalent for the term “Host” is “foorshono,” and it comes from the verb “frash,” which means “to separate.” In the old days, everyone would come to church carrying a portion of his harvest, and, at the door of the church, there would be two deacons: one sitting behind a table, and the other carrying two tablets (called Diptychs). On one tablet would be written the names of the living, on the other the names of the deceased. The first deacon would take the gifts or offerings given for certain intentions, and the other deacon would write the names on the appropriate tablet. When the time came to enter the church, the deacons would “separate” some of the bread (this is the “fourshono,” the Host) and they carry it with the Diptychs to the altar, while singing “Holy, Holy, Holy are you…” These Hosts (or altar bread) become offerings when the priest prays the institution narrative over them.
Unfortunately, in our world today, this reading of the signs is missing. We, who are always surrounded by noise and always in rush, no longer know how to stop and look at nature and say: “Praise be to God who created this beautiful world.”
That’s why it is important tonight to talk about signs, so we realize the importance of time and learn to see how God intervenes in our lives and gives us signs. The problem of our generation is a problem of time management.
Do I really know how to see and savor the signs of God’s presence in my life? This is an essential question. We need to learn to connect one proposition to another, the meaning of different things, in order to discover the overall meaning of our lives. These signs are the Mysteries of the Church.
b- The effects of the sign: What are the effects of signs in people’s lives?
Signs are present in our lives and have effects. It is important, not only to discover their meaning, but also to discover their effects:
1- The first effect of signs in people’s lives is the increase of knowledge: the more we analyze a sign, the vaster our knowledge. Take the color red, for example. In the sky it forecasts hot weather. Also, when we say “there is no smoke without fire,” this means that we have learned that the smoke is a sign that there is a fire. Whoever can read the signs keeps on learning more and more. When we read the signs and facts, we understand better the facts of life, and, consequently, our relationship with our neighbor becomes easier. So, by reading the signs, our ability to analyze events and facts increases.
2- Signs tie closer a person’s interior and exterior, and this allows us to know him better: a person does not usually show us his true self, but we are able to detect the signs that he gives out: his words, voice, and gestures are external, concrete signs that express his inner state. For example, Jesus’ love for Lazarus showed thought his tears. A person’s interior is a deep mystery. Each one of us is a rich mystery full of the Spirit, to whom the Lord has given gifts and talents, and whom He made is His image. We have no right to judge a person unless he gives us signs that show his interior through his external actions. This connection, then, between the interior and the exterior increases our knowledge of one another.
3- Signs are a source of, and nourishment for, psychological states:
This example is taken from the French book “Du Fond de l’Abîme, Seigneur” which talks about concentration camps in Nazi Germany, where they forced prisoners to roll in the mud in order to humiliate them, render them dirty and dislikable, and destroy their morale, because dirt signifies self-neglect and self-rejection. One of the women at the concentration camp decided to, and insisted on, cleaning her shoes everyday as a sign for her that the soldiers will not destroy her morale, and as a sign of rejecting humiliation and embracing self-care and high morale.
External signs that a person exhibits express her psychological states.
Indeed, if you live according to a certain regimen, this means that your life is under control. External discipline is a sign that you hold the reins of your life.
French philosopher Pascal famously said: “If you lose the fervor of faith, kneel down and pray, and you will regain your fervor.” External signs, then, nourish our inside and our inner person, and nourish our psychological states.
4- Signs are efficient means
Signs are not only good means to expand our knowledge, and for nourishing our psychological states and our internal and spiritual dimensions, but they also help us impact the outside world. In Genesis 2:19, for example, when God asked Adam to name the animals, this was a sign of man’s authority over animals. In another example from the Bible, Simon was named Peter: Simon, which in Hebrew means “the one who hears,” became “the Rock.” He was transformed from Simon, “hearer of my word,” to Simon “upon whom I will build my Church.” The same goes for the baptismal candidate, the monk, and the nun. Changing the name is a sign of new creation or new life.
Signs, then, are efficient means.
5- Signs are means of communication between people
Communicating through words and conventional expressions may be problematic, because these words and expressions may differ from one area to another, as do people’s accents. Even a pause between words can mean different things in different countries. Italians, for instance, talk more with their hands than with their words. Gestures are signs of communication between people, and signs are a means of communication using gestures, traditions, and fashion. All this makes communication between people easier.
6- Signs are a means of relationship between God and man…and this is the crux of our topic.
They are the means God employs to enter in a relationship with us. Signs are relationships. God reveals himself, and then, through signs, helps man understand the nature, meaning and concept of this relationship.
The Old Testament is full of relationships:
People: Moses, Abraham, Ezekiel, Joseph, the prophets, etc.
Events: Mount Sinai, the desert, etc.
Things: Isaac’s sacrifice, the manna and the quail, the paschal lamb, etc.
These are all signs through which God communicates his presence and attentiveness to us.
Also in the New Testament: all of Jesus’ actions and sayings are signs of God’s presence and mercy. Jesus summarized this by saying: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 9:14).
Jesus, then, is the Sign of the Father who became flesh so we can see, not only God, but also what God does for us. This is what’s special about Jesus. He called us also to be, like him, signs of God’s presence, one of the Mysteries of the Church, just like Jesus is the Mystery of the Father.
When we pray we respond to God’s intervention. We express our faith, as if we were saying: “Lord, we believe in your intervention in our lives, and we respond to your intervention.” God took the initiative to enter our lives through the seven Mysteries , to pour his graces in our lives, and to motivate us to respond. God intervenes in our lives through signs, and we too respond through signs. These are the seven Mysteries that the Church has defined for us, based on her teachings throughout history in the councils.
c- The spiritual meaning of the Mysteries:
The seven Mysteries have a meaning. The Catechism of the Catholic Church issued by the Pope teaches us what they mean:
Baptism, Confirmation, Penance and Reconciliation (Confession), Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick.
These seven Mysteries have five spiritual meanings:
1- They are the sign of Christ who instituted the Mysteries: “We profess that the Mysteries of the New Law were all instituted by Jesus Christ” (Council of Trent, The Canons on the Mysteries ).
Jesus, then, is the one who instituted these Mysteries. “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” “Do this in memory of me.” St. James says: “Is any one among you sick? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil.” “What God has joined, no man shall separate.”
Jesus came to fully infuse our lives with his life. He hid the fullness of his life inside the Mysteries. This is why, when I go to Church to celebrate the Liturgy (not to “attend” the Liturgy), to participate in the Holy Sacrifice, I participate and allow Christ to participate in my life. I participate with my brothers and sisters, not in a mundane task, but in the work of Christ.
The Mysteries are the power that comes out of Jesus to strengthen and fortify us. I go to Church to pray the way Jesus wants me to, which is also what the Church wants. This means, for example, confessing my sins to a priest, and not just between me and God.
These Mysteries and signs help us experience God’s presence in our relationship with him, and by worshipping him the way he wants us to, and not any way we want.
2- These Mysteries were discovered by the Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who has worked in her throughout history, and they are seven in total. Therefore, these Mysteries work in the Church and build her. There is no Church without the Eucharist. The Mysteries make the Church and are made by the Church. The right relationship with God, the way he wants it, happens in the midst of the Church. The Church is the foundation which allows us to go deeper.
3- The Mysteries are connected to faith: “Go, baptize and preach.” Jesus tied the Mysteries, preaching and teaching to the foundation of the Christian community.
Jesus is the one who willed the existence of the Mysteries.
My prayer is an expression of my faith. Prayer does not only come out of the mouth, by out of the mouth linked to the heart.
4- Mysteries are tied to salvation. Mysteries are efficient because Jesus is at work through them. “I absolve of all your sins in the name of the Father…” The hand of Christ uses the hand of the priest to absolve sin. This is why reconciliation and baptism are efficient, because Jesus is the one using them. Jesus, then, works through them. Otherwise, our faith would weaken. The Holy Spirit works mysteriously, but directly, in the Mysteries.
5- Mysteries are tied to eternal life. They prepare us to enter heaven, if we experience the concrete signs which Jesus entered so he can enter in a relationship with us. In the Divine Liturgy, we anticipate the heavenly banquet. We grow here and are nourished by His love. Here is a prototype of life there. Here we prepare and get ready for eternal life. No one could go there if unprepared. We start here by living in this earthly heaven through the Mysteries that bring us closer to God.
Question:
How to learn to read the signs of Christ’s presence in our lives?
Is Christ present only in the Eucharist, or do I also see his presence through other signs, such as the Mystery of reconciliation and other situations? Does he teach me through people and events? Does he only nourish me through the Bible and the Divine Liturgy?
Where, then, to learn to read the signs of Christ’s presence?
Amen.
