I enjoy reading all sorts of books, but when reading fiction, there is nothing like a well-written ‘who-done-it,’ especially the kind in which it takes getting to the end of the book before I think I know who perpetrated the crime. Fiction is one thing, but in real life there are different kinds of mysteries to be encountered, some of which produce anxiety, while others are simply in the realm of anticipation and desire. There are also scientific mysteries that people try to ‘figure out’ through experimentation and application of previous knowledge. In contrast to these, however, is the type of mystery that is spiritual; these are not mysteries that can be figured out empirically, but rather, require faith. This is because we are not seeking something, we are seeking Someone. These mysteries are not to be understood, but to be experienced. The nature of faith is mystery, and thus we refer to the events of the Easter season as Paschal mysteries: our faith is about coming to know the Person of Jesus Christ, the Risen Savior who is love and mercy. As His disciples we are called to stay in that mystery throughout this life, trusting He will guide us into the next. While remaining in mystery can be uncomfortable sometimes, accepting and engaging in this mystery is worth everything.

Even though God has revealed many things through Jesus, much is still mystery insofar as Who God is and what He does; therefore, our relationship requires faith. In the Letter to the Hebrews we read: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen…. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.” (Hebrews 11: 1,3) The author then outlines salvation history as a way of fleshing out the events and people through which God has acted, all of it dependent upon faith. Thus, we see that dealing with mystery requires faith, nurtured by prayer and study of Scripture. If we study the Old Testament into the New, we see that as time went on, the understanding of His people grew as God revealed more to them. If our faith is to grow, entering into dialogue with God through reflection with His Word and responding to Him in prayer is essential. 

Jesus revealed a great deal through His words and deeds. However, we can see that often what He said was difficult for His followers to comprehend, mostly because they lacked the trust that came with faith; they could not enter into mystery patiently. For example, the Bread of Life discourse seemed so mysterious to them that most left Him. (John 6) And later many were flabbergasted when Jesus, in describing Himself as the Good Shepherd said, “The Father and I are one….” (John 10:30-38) Even the apostles could not understand the three predictions Jesus made about His Passion or that which He said at the Last Supper. These examples elucidate what the problem was: they tried to understand with their minds rather than with their hearts. They were trying to ‘figure out’ what He was saying rather than trusting His words and deeds. The result is that they understood so little that they nearly came to ruin. What saved them after their ‘failure’ was that they persevered in prayer, allowing God into their pain, thus recognizing that what they needed was not to figure out, but to allow God’s mercy and love to transform them into the saints they were always capable of becoming. 

We must remember that we suffer from the same struggle with mystery as did the disciples. However, the valuable lesson we learn from them is that spiritual mystery is not a problem to be overcome, it is a reality to be entered into and embraced. And therein lies the beauty: we can know the Lord, but to do so we have to learn the way He speaks by entering into mystery in order to let Him reveal who He is as He chooses. Therefore, we will not get very far if we try to solve spiritual questions as we would a mystery novel or a scientific enigma; rather, we enter into mystery in order to let unfold within us whatever God wants to reveal. Indeed, it is wonderful to want to know all we can about our faith: in fact, we are compelled to do this in order to grow in knowledge of that which has been revealed and which the great mystics and theologians have shed light upon. But alone that is not enough; we must engage our faith and enter into the mystery because it is there that we find God. *

Much of life is mystery and we need the same trust in God as that of the apostles and holy ones. The way to this kind of trust is to know the One whom we follow. Even though we will not understand many things in life, God will give the graces we need to persevere until the time comes when we are with Him face to face. For now, spiritual and theological mysteries will remain; there will be personal mysteries, things that we cannot fathom which are simply part of life. In it all we must not treat mystery as a problem to be solved, because if we do, we will only become tired and frustrated. But if we treat mystery as something to be entered into and embraced, we will find the Lord of Love and Mercy at its center. That is worth everything!

​May we engage in the mysteries of the spiritual life, realizing that it is worth everything! May we engage our Baptismal graces of faith, hope, and love as we enter more deeply into a life of prayer! And may we come to know the Lord more intimately as He draws us to Himself. Let us meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace!

                                   ©Michele L. Catanese

* Think of Moses entering into the cloud on Mount Horeb; that cloud was the Shekinah presence of God Himself. Think of all the prophets who spoke for God, and perhaps did not always understand the message, yet trusted the Messenger. Think of the apostles at Pentecost who still did not understand everything, but on whom the Lord had breathed the Holy Spirit before He ascended and then received the Holy Spirit in an enormous way. Think of the famous story of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the most brilliant theological minds the world has ever known: after He had a mystical experience of God while celebrating Mass, he declared everything he had written to be as straw in comparison to the One God whom he loved. None of these faithful ones understood everything, but because they knew the Lord, they trusted in His word and in His directives to them, and so they followed.

Images:
1. Icon; The Risen Christ, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, this can be found at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-risen-christ-014-william-hart-mcnichols.html
2. My photo; cloud over mountain, taken from Mount Mucrone, northwestern Italy. 
3. Painting; inset of Host with Chalice by Jan Davidsz de Heem.
4. My photo; procession at the beginning of Mass, St. Louis University Cathedral. 
5. My photo; lilies at Keukenhof Gardens, Holland.
6. My photo of a painting; The Prophetess Anna, by Rembrandt. This photo was taken at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The model for Anna was Rembrandt's mother. 
7. Icon; The Silence of St. Thomas Aquinas by Fr. William Hart McNichols. This can be found at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-silence-of-st-thomas-aquinas-097-william-hart-mcnichols.html

Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. 

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Though I do not do it too often, I especially like going out for breakfast because I get the pleasure of both the food and the company of someone I enjoy being with. Sharing any meal is a joy, and while I love going out, I place greater value on partaking in a meal cooked by a friend in their home or offering a meal I have prepared for friends visiting at mine. This is because the action of laboring to cook for others is a work of love. Perhaps this is the reason that Jesus chose to leave His gift of the deepest, most unfathomable love as food: the gift of bread and wine become His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. * Certainly, it should not be a surprise, then, that the first thing the Risen Jesus did when the apostles encountered Him on the beach at the Sea of Galilee was to cook them breakfast. Interestingly, after they made their miraculous catch Jesus told them to bring some of those fish, and yet He had already prepared fish on a charcoal fire, saying, “Come, have breakfast.” (John 21:1-14)

Before they saw Jesus, 7 disciples – (only 5 are named as apostles) – were attempting to catch fish, and after trying all night, caught nothing. The Risen Jesus appeared on the shore, though they did not know it was Him, instructing them to go back out and cast their nets again. They caught so many fish that they could not pull in the net. It is not clear why they did not recognize Jesus, especially since at the end of the passage John wrote, “This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to His disciples after being raised from the dead.” (John 21:14) If they had seen Him as the Risen Lord twice before, why didn’t they recognize Him this time? It could be that John was emphasizing the need to stay alert since Jesus can and will come when we least expect. It could also be that he wanted us to realize the importance of recognizing Jesus by His outpoured mercy and love; once the disciples recognized His characteristic behaviors, they recognized Jesus.

Jesus instructed them to bring some of the fish they had just caught, presumably for their meal to be prepared with these. However, Jesus had already prepared some fish on a charcoal fire, along with some bread: He was ready and waiting, offering a meal to share with His friends. He said to them, ““Come, have breakfast” …. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.” (John 21:12-13) Notice the primacy of the bread. This is reminiscent of Jesus feeding the 5,000 during His public ministry. At that time, He took 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, gave thanks, (that is, blessed), and broke the bread and distributed it, feeding everyone, yet with 12 baskets of fragments left over. (John 6:1-15) By the end of that passage it was clear that Jesus had the authority of God. In this resurrection appearance, the disciples also came to a new clarity: Jesus had a new mission for them that would involve the same love and mercy He had for them. This becomes more obvious in the following verses in which Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him and then finally explained what He meant by “Feed my sheep.” Peter would need to completely follow God’s will, not his own, and that in doing so, he would not only spread the Kingdom, but  one day he would willingly give his life in the same manner as Jesus: “Someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 

​The second aspect of the primacy of the bread in this meal is a Eucharistic reference. The Bread Jesus gives is our sustenance; there is nothing like it, nothing more powerful, and nothing more important. He freely gives this bread, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, to empower us and to be ever close to our hearts as we enter into His. Therefore, it is important that we respond to the invitation of Jesus to “Come, have breakfast.” This invitation is not just a call to Eucharist, but it is a call to be fed by His presence and His grace through our prayer, and to give a response, that is, our good works. Eating this bread means participating in the mercy and love with which He lived and which He continues to pour out upon the world. 

Celebrating Divine Mercy during Easter is a reminder of the opportunity to celebrate God’s gift by immersing ourselves in His ocean of mercy. Our response to such a gift ought to be the joy and gratitude which propels us outward to share the gift with others. Like the disciples on that shoreline, if we feed on the bread only Jesus can give, we become empowered to bring His mercy to the world. We need continual reflection upon Divine Mercy, how it is offered to us, and therefore, how we are to offer it to others. To help with this, we can reflect upon the resurrection appearances, (particularly the one in John 21), in order to better recognize the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus, to receive the gift of Divine Mercy He offers, and discern how to answer the call to share mercy with the world. When Jesus invites, “Come, have breakfast,” let us respond by sitting down to dine with Him.

May we have open ears and hearts so that we hear the invitation of Jesus to come have breakfast with Him! May we allow the bread Jesus gives to feed our hungry souls! And may we be receptive of Divine Mercy so that we might draw others into His mercy, too! Let us meet in the merciful heart of Jesus!  Alleluia, Alleluia! Peace!

                                   ©Michele L. Catanese

* In every culture meals have always been a significant gift of sharing. We can connect food with God’s mercy offered through freedom throughout the Old Testament, one of the first references being Melchizedek the priest who offered bread and wine as thanksgiving for the good works of Abraham that were associated with freedom from oppression. (Genesis 14:18-20). Of course, it is obvious in the Passover meal in which the meal is linked to the Israelites' liberation from Egypt. (Exodus 12:1-28) There are also numerous instances of the ritual sacrifice of animals, grains, and the like, as a way to offer thanks or as prayer to God for a variety of intentions. 

Images:
1. Photo taken by my husband; Dutch style pancakes and tea breakfast, Amsterdam, Holland.
2. Painting; Meal of Our Lord and the Apostles, by James Tissot, (1886-1894)
3. My photo; Sheep, taken in Scotland.
4. My photo; Eucharistic exposition in a small church in Amsterdam, Holland.
5. My photo; the Mediterranean Sea, taken from Vico Equense, Italy
6. Painting; Jesus, I Trust in You, Polish artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, as described by St. Faustina. For more go to https://sfarchdiocese.org/jesus-i-trust-in-you-the-history-and-mystery-of-the-divine-mercy-devotion/

Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.