Peace be with you!

As Fr. Freeh pointed out, just because something’s a mystery, doesn’t mean it’s not real. Love can’t be weighed or measured, but we feel and see it in action. The Church celebrates this truth, and leads us to a spirituality based on the central mystery of God.

“Great is the mystery of the faith!” The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles’ Creed…and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy…so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father…. This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.

– Catechism of the Catholic Church 2558

There is a difference, said Fr. Freeh, between knowing about God, and knowing God.  The Catechism defines this difference as “a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” and goes on to say, “This relationship is prayer.”

Several times we’ve reflected on prayer as the root of our spirituality. Now is a good time to recognize that our lives become what we are rooted in. In living a spiritual life, our lives become our prayer…and we are transformed. We decrease, and Christ increases.

No, we can’t explain it. And yet…we can understand it. Living in God’s love, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are energized by Him. We become the candle to His flame, the lamp to His light, and we illuminate the world.

Based on Fr. Freeh’s closing remarks, I believe that next week (no, I don’t read ahead!), we’ll be considering the different ways in which we can be Christ’s light in this dark world.

In the meantime, here’s one of my favorite songs, which captures the spirit of this week’s reflection.

Sung by the incomparable Alison Krauss, “A Living Prayer” was written by Ron Block, a member her band, Union Station. Enjoy. And peace be with you!

Read this Sunday’s Scriptures.