Embraced by mystery

 

It is Christmas. We welcome the Word-made flesh among us, as the greatest manifestation of God's love. Our life has meaning. The incompleteness, the never-ending journey of living life's questions and paradoxes without desiring to have all the answers, is sustained by our experience of God's tender love. He is the dawn from on high that slowly illumines the darkness. Yes, slowly, almost in a hidden way. And if we are willing to wait, God gives us a glimpse of the mystery.

Zechariah's silence

I always thought that Zechariah's silence was a punishment because he doubted the Angel Gabriel's message. But come to think of it, silence is how we respond when we come face-to-face with mystery. We don't have words, we can only be silent. It is as if when we open our mouth something that is sacred becomes profaned.

Silence

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.” (Lk 1:24-25)

Faced with a great mystery, our only response is silence. Silence sums up our awe and gratitude. Too many words, too much noise deprives us of a deep experience of something beautiful and totally undeserved.

Faith

Faith is not resignation.
Faith is openness to mystery, a mystery that surpasses our most logical reasoning and our most sophisticated preparations.
Faith is making a courageous step despite the scarcity of resources and the uncertainty of success.
Faith is anchoring one's heart in someone other than ourselves.
Faith is rising up from the rubble and claiming the victory of life in the midst of death.

Bells

One of the unusual, in a good way, experiences I am having up here is the delight in listening to the bells of the chapels and churches throughout the valley. Their ringing signals the time or an invitation to Mass. At some point they sound as if they are talking to each other with one asking a question and the other responding. It is as if they are talking about a mystery, sharing a secret that only they know.
I feel called to discover the secret, to be part of that mystery. And when I just close my eyes and really listen, I have a feeling that I am getting closer and closer to the secret.
I feel sad that we have lost this connection with mystery. We want to have explanations for everything. I don't think that is bad. But what is bad is when we become too attached to our explanations, forgetting that life is infinitely more interesting. We forget the art of asking questions because we have lots of things to do and responsibilities to face, and so we become secure in our state of blissful ignorance. 
The bells in this valley remind me that our life is a part of a bigger mystery. It is okay not to be sure. It is okay to ask questions. Nay, they are the beginning of liberation.

Mystery

We don't define mystery; mystery defines us.