(LifeSiteNews) — The value of the concept of mystery differs in literature and theology. In the world of literature it means something hidden (“mysterious”) which must be revealed at some point, at least at the end of the plot. In theology, however, Mystérion designates God and divine things: the Mystery of Christ, true God and true man; His Incarnation and His Mysteries: His Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection. These are supernatural realities which exceed the light of reason; they can only be known if God reveals them. The Church as the Mystical Body of Christ is a Mystery.
The main purpose of the Church’s existence is fulfilled when and because she speaks of God and leads men towards heaven. From this perspective it refers to everything human knowledge can embrace, as well as the events of history. At the center of the Mystery of the Church is the Sacramentum of the Most Holy Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, according to the command of the Lord Himself: “Do this in memory of me.”
The Church concerns herself with secular matters, but the attention of the world often ignores the Mystery. She improves her standing in the world to the extent that she becomes more worldly and in effect consents to the abolition of the Mystery. She can come to play a kind of “global leadership” – not her, actually, but the Vatican or the pontiff of the day. Does it help the Mystery when the Pontiff appears in St. Peter’s Basilica without his white cassock, in a shirt, and covered with a poncho? Did he make the decision to do this? Was the decision made for him?
The Church comprises communities scattered throughout the world in which the faithful worship and contemplate the divine mysteries. In her history she has often been persecuted, and the blood of the martyrs has been and still is “the seed of new Christians.” But there are persecutions that are not exactly bloody but nevertheless test the faith and patience of Christians. In an un-Christianized culture the Church is a beacon of light, and the life of the faithful tends to spread, thus creating a new Christian culture. The value of hope shines forth in this perspective of the future, which is not an expectation that things will get better, but rather a trust in God’s strength which grows to the extent that prayer intensifies.
Peace has been an aspiration for the Church ever since the Lord said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives” (Jn. 14:27). It is also true that the Church has not been entirely faithful to this saying at times in her long history. But in a Christian culture the gift of peace shines splendidly. The great Pope Pius XI had as the motto of his purposes “the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.” Papa Ratti was the author of the encyclical Quas primas that proclaimed the Kingship of Jesus – and will become 100 years old in December.
But under the “global leadership” of Francis, it seems that “the peace of the world in the kingdom of the world” is sought instead. There is a lot of talk about man and his rights, which would be rightly safeguarded if they were placed in the primacy of God, Creator and Redeemer. Discourse about God has always been prominent in the Tradition of the Church.
Héctor Aguer
Archbishop Emeritus of La Plata
Buenos Aires, Saturday, April 12, 2025