Mystagogy

Do you like to travel? I love to travel and do you know what I like best? Looking at the pictures! The pictures of the places and the people help me to remember the trip and point out how the journey amazed me, challenged me and changed me.

Our newly initiated members are spending the Easter season reflecting on their faith journey, in particular, on the celebrations of Holy Week and the experience of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. They are remembering the images, the words, and the symbols they experienced. This process of reflection, officially called mystagogy, is a way of helping them to deepen their understanding of their experience. In the ancient Church, it was a way of teaching not only the newly initiated, but the whole community about the mysteries of faith.

Mystagogy isn’t only for the newly initiated. It is a powerful tool for everyone that can help one understand one’s faith in new ways. Take some time in the days ahead to remember the liturgies of Holy Week, Easter, or a Sunday Mass and discuss as a family. Here are a few questions to get you started: What did you see? What did you hear? What word or phrase captured your attention? What do you remember most? What touched you? What did it mean to you? What symbol stood out for you? If that symbol could have spoken, what might it have said? How did the liturgy challenge or affirm your perspective? How did it deepen your faith?

Mystagogy shows us how the liturgy teaches, reinforcing a key concept of the Second Vatican Council.

“Although the liturgy is above all things the worship of the divine majesty, it likewise contains rich instruction for the faithful.” Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 33

For example, I remember when a visitor to our parish engaged in mystagogy without knowing it. He noticed that we prayed (in the General Intercessions) for those on death row. He was a lawyer who was all too familiar with criminal punishment. He was deeply moved by the prayer. It spoke to him about the abundance of God’s love and motivated him to seek a deeper understanding of our beliefs on capital punishment. His perspective about who Catholics are and what we believe was challenged and changed.

The liturgy teaches us a lot about our faith, but it requires that we come to Mass with eyes and ears wide open, with attentiveness and presence, ready to be amazed, challenged and changed.

I would like to invite you to share your experiences of the liturgies of Holy Week, of Easter or of a recent Sunday Mass by emailing me at kkuczka@sta.org. These comments will then be published in next weekend’s blog. I too will share my experiences of the liturgies of northern Italy. Sharing our experiences can help us to learn from one another and can lead us to a deeper faith in the Risen Lord, which is what mystagogy and Easter is all about.

The First Day of the Week

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John disagree on the circumstances surrounding the Resurrection of Jesus, but they all agree that the Resurrection and post-Resurrection appearances took place on the first day of the week.

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Matthew 28:1

Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. Mark 16:2

When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. Mark 16:9

But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. Luke 24:1

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. John 20:1

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19.

On the first day of the week, Jesus encountered the disciples. He broke open the scriptures for them and ate and drank with them. It naturally flowed that the first day of the week, later to be called Sunday, became the day for Christians to worship.

More than 2,000 years later, we too gather on this, the first day of the week. On this day, as he did with the first disciples, the Lord reveals himself to us. On this day, he breaks open the Scriptures. On this day, he eats and drinks with us. This is why every Sunday is called a little Easter. This is why we cry out with the psalmist, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.” On this day we are reminded that we are to live in the light of Christ and in the newness of the Resurrection, not only on Sundays, but on every day of the week.

Easter Sunday 2020

Scan twitter with #coronavirusbaking and you will likely see pictures of “quarantine cookies” and “isolation loaves.” As the number of families confined to their homes grows, more people are finding refuge in baking. Baking offers a welcome distraction and a sense of comfort. The scents that waft from the kitchen gives one something for which to look forward.

Around this time every year, my mother and I would make Easter Bread. Easter Bread is a specialty bread, popular in Europe, that is made in different shapes and styles in honor of the Easter holiday. I remember the delight of getting my hands all gooey in the dough and the energy it took to knead it.

After separating the dough into balls, it was time to cover it and allow it to rise. After a period of time, that little ball of dough would double in size, pushing up the dish towels covering it. It was almost as if the dough became pregnant. I’ll never forget my mother’s expression at the risen dough. “Ah!” She would gasp with excitement, “God Bless it!” As a child, I wondered how God had time to help our dough to rise, especially at this busy time of year, but I was delighted that divine intervention had somehow decided to mix with our human efforts. The aroma of the bread baking in the oven was heavenly. After the bread had cooled, my mother would give the bread to others.

In the Ukraine, Easter Bread is called Paska, a derivative of Pascha, which means Easter. The word Pascha comes from the Hebrew word Pesach, meaning Passover. As the Jews celebrate the feast of Passover, commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, Christians celebrate the feast of Easter, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Passover or Paschal Lamb. Pesach is related to the Greek word Paschein, which means to suffer. This is one reason why Easter Bread is made at this time of year. It is symbolic of the dying and rising of Jesus.

This is one reason ordinary bread is used to make Eucharistic Bread. In order to make bread, seeds must die in the ground to become wheat. Wheat must be ground in order to become flour. In each step of the process, there is a dying in order to become something new. In the Eucharist, ordinary bread is transformed into something extraordinary, the Body and Blood of Christ. By partaking in the Eucharist, we too are transformed. We become pregnant with possibilities, energized to knead the dough of life and to give ourselves away for the life of the world. Amen!

Many recipes for Easter Bread can be found online. Here is an easy one courtesy of my mother, Violet Kuczka:

Easter Bread

Ingredients

· dry yeast, 2 packages

· 2 ½ cups of warm water

· 1 lemon cake mix

· 5 cups of flour +

· 2 eggs

· 1 t lemon flavoring

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in 2 ½ cubs of warm water.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and flour.

3. Beat eggs and add lemon flavoring.

4. Add egg mixture and yeast and water to the cake mix and the flour.

5. Knead well so that the dough is sticky. You may need to add more flour.

6. Let rise until double.

7. Divide into three loaf pans.

8. Let rise in the loaf pans until double.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until firm and lightly golden brown on top.

10. Brush with butter or icing.

After Easter

On this Mother’s Day I am grateful for my mother, my grandmothers, and all of my maternal ancestors, whose origins I will soon discover. I recently received the gift of a DNA testing kit. These kits, produced by 23andMe, Ancestry.com, and others are designed to help people trace their roots, connect with unknown relatives, and even indicate genetic medical trends from the swab of a person’s saliva. These products, along with the popularity of programs such as the PBS Television series, Tracing Your Roots, tell us that we are eager to determine our family tree.

The Easter season calls us to remember our spiritual ancestry. Whenever we are sprinkled with holy water, a sign of our baptism, we are reminded that we are all the beloved children of God, and that the community that surrounds us is a part of our spiritual family tree.

Those who were initiated at the Easter Vigil have spent these weeks of Easter reflecting on what it means to be a child of God and on how the rituals, symbols, and the entire experience of Holy Week transformed them. Here are some of their comments:

What were the peak moments for you?

The lighting of the fire helped usher in a new beginning for me

Taking communion …  I felt whole with the family and with Christ.

The “I do’s” felt like I was getting married!

[One candidate to another after he was confirmed] “Christ looks good on you!”

How did God speak to you? What did God say?

“You’re home, this is your family.”

[Through the Litany of the Saints] “The saints are always there to pray for you.” 

[Through the cello at the 7 Last Words] “I am here.”

Who was the God you experienced the night of the Easter Vigil? What did God say to you?

It felt like a homecoming.

God was smiling from ear to ear, wrapping his arms around us.

It felt as if a hand was being extended, as if to say, “Follow me, I’ll walk with you through this.”

What does baptism mean to you now?

Baptism washed away everything from before, which allowed the oil to seal the good of my new life within.

This is one night [The Easter Vigil] when water and oil do mix!

 How would you sum up your journey of conversion?

From confusion to clarity.

From darkness to light.

From being angry to forgiving everybody.

From feeling empty to feeling whole. 

From being disconnected to being connected, being part of the community.

From being lost to being found.

Mystagogy

I love to travel! You know what I like best? Looking at the pictures! The pictures of the people, the cultures, their rituals and symbols help me remember the trip and allow me to reflect not only on where I have traveled, but on how the journey affected me, how it moved me, and what difference it made in my life.

Our newly initiated members take the time after their initiation to reflect on their faith journey, in particular, on the celebrations of Holy Week and the experience of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. This process of reflection, officially called mystagogy, is a way of helping them to deepen their understanding of their experience. In the ancient Church, it was a way of teaching not only the newly initiated, but the whole community about the mysteries of faith.

Mystagogy isn’t only for the newly initiated. It is a powerful tool for everyone that can help us understand our faith in new ways. Try it yourself or with others the next time you go to Mass. Here are a few questions to get you started: What did you see, feel or hear? What one word or phrase captured your attention? What did you remember most?  What symbol spoke to you and why?  What did it mean to you?  What did that word or symbol or ritual say to you about God, the Church, yourself?  How did it change or challenge your perspective?

A recent visitor to our parish engaged in mystagogy without knowing it. He noticed that we prayed for those on death row. He was a lawyer who was all too familiar with criminal punishment. He was deeply moved by the prayer. It spoke to him about the abundance of God’s love and motivated him to seek a deeper understanding of our beliefs on capital punishment. His perspective about who Catholics are and what we believe was challenged and changed.

Mystagogy shows us how the liturgy teaches, reinforcing a key concept of the Second Vatican Council. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy:

“Although the liturgy is above all things the worship of the divine majesty, it likewise contains rich instruction for the faithful.” Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 33

The liturgy teaches us a lot about our faith, but it requires that we come to Mass with eyes and ears wide open, with attentiveness and presence, ready to be amazed, challenged and changed.