"Truth for us is not a system of thought. Truth is not created. Truth is. Christ is the truth. Truth is a person. Truth is not limited within our apprehension of it. Truth transcends us; we can never come to the full comprehension of Truth.
The search for Truth is the search for the person of Christ . . .
Truth is the Mystery of the person of Christ; and, because it is a person, the Mystery is inseperably linked with the event; the event of the encounter. Mystery and event are one . . .
The Mystery, for the Orthodox mind, is precise and austere reality. It is Christ, and it is to meet Christ" -- Mother Maria of Normandy
What I find particularly profound about this quote is its connection between Mystery and event; Mystery is beyond our comprehension and understanding, but it is also connected to the tangible reality of the person of Christ.
4 comments:
This is an interesting post. I was just having a discussion about the mysteries of the Catholic church (which I understand to be slightly different than the Orthodox church). My lack of understand about why mysteries are so mysterious have prevented me from fully appreciating the concept. I think several issues are contributing to my thinking: the tradition I come from emphasizes a personal relationship with God (buddy, buddy type), my need for reason and logic, and a host of other things. Anyway, I would appreciate any clarity you can provide on the concept. I'm hoping that the next time I pray through the mysteries with my extended family, I will have a new founded appreciation.
Sarah,
I am pretty new to the subject of mystery in the Orthodox Church myself, and I am not sure that I can really speak as much of an authority, specifically in how it might compare to how mystery is viewed in the Roman Catholic Church. A real good place to look would be the blog that I have linked, Glory to God For All Things. It is written by a Priest in the Orthodox Church and his most recent post deals with the subject of Mystery.
One specific difference that I am aware of in how mystery is viewed between the two churches is around the sacrament of Eucharist. Is this what you are referring to in your post (I'm not familiar with the term, "pray through the mysteries")? Roman Catholics have the doctrine of transubstantiation, which seeks to document or explain the process in which the bread and wine become the real blood and body of Christ. The Orthodox, while agreeing with the Roman Cathoic Church in part, "has never described exactly how this occurs, or gone into the detail that the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have in the West. The doctrine of transubstantiation was formulated after the Great Schism took place, and the Eastern Orthodox have never formally affirmed or denied it, preferring to state simply that it is a mystery and sacrament" (the quote is from the Wiki site that is linked).
Love the quote - holding together truth, the person of Jesus, and the mystery. Really strong man. thanks.
I really like that idea that truth is not a collection of words or thoughts, but a Person. Truth isn't what this or that church believes or whether God did or did not use evolution, or name your contraversy. God is mystery and there is humility and relief in acknowledging Him as the Ultimate, regardless of my understanding.
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