The Paschal Mystery

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches, The Paschal Mystery has two aspects: by his death Jesus liberated us from sin; by his Resurrection he opened for us the way of new life”(654). This Sacred Truth is the foundation of the Catholic, indeed Christian belief. In this reflection I will delineate these two aspects to deepen our understanding of, and our faith in the Paschal Mystery.
First, we begin with the meanings of “paschal” and “mystery.” According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, “paschal” denotes “of or pertaining to the the Passover or Easter. In and through the Paschal Mystery, Jesus fulfills the Passover of the Old Testament when the plague passed over houses with posts sprinkled with blood. As the CCC states, “Christ's work of redemption [is] accomplished principally by his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and glorious Ascension, whereby 'dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life'”(1067).
Next, Webster's Dictionary defines “Mystery” as “a religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot be fully understood.” In faith we participate in the Paschal Mystery primarily during the Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday. Chronologically the Sacred Event is on separate days, but liturgically the Triduum is one sacred event. The temporal and Devine are one in our redemption.
 The Paschal Mystery is more than standing in a pew. In our hearts and minds we accompany Jesus in his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Moreover, at each Mass, we again enter the Paschal Mystery and live the Mystery in all our interactions.
When does this “way of new life begin? The answer is at our Baptism when we receive the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live a Christian life. This sacrament initiates a divine intimacy through which we experience daily dying and rising in the Lord as we interact with our brothers and sisters.

The above said, we admit dying and rising is no mean feat. On our own, achieving this pattern is impossible. That is why the Lord through the Church gave us the sacraments.
In a web article from St. Mary's Press, we read the following: ”The sacramental life of the Church is the superlative source for experiencing God's saving power and receiving the grace necessary to continue Christ's mission”(p.5).
Eucharist especially helps us live the Paschal Mystery. Sharing in the Devine life is truly a gift, but Eucharist is not a guarantee from sin. Thus we need the Sacrament of Reconciliation: we encounter the Risen Lord's mercy; we reconnect with the Paschal Mystery.
Confirmation through the Gifts of the Spirit strengthens the grace of Baptism. But indifference or mechanical routine with Mass and the sacraments may block Confirmation grace. We distant ourselves from the Paschal Mystery until some sacramental like the laying on of hands, or experiencing the Holy Spirit in Marriage Encounter, Cursillo effects heart felt transformation. We incarnate the Paschal Mystery.

The above renewal depends on prayer, scripture and service. Vatican II has encouraged the laity to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, at least Morning, Evening and Night Prayer which reminds us of the Paschal Mystery. For example, in Sunday Night Prayer, we meditate, “Lord, we have celebrated today the mystery of the rising of Christ to new life. May we now rest in your peace...and rise again...to praise you in a new day.” This prayer encapsulates and enfleshes the Paschal Mystery.
Scripture also embodies the Mystery. Nowhere is dying and rising daily clearer than from Jesus himself: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into earth and dies it remains just a single grain, but if it dies, it bears much fruit”( Jn.15:24).This verse should be our mantra.
Prayer activates action. Witness Jesus praying to the Father before the miracle of loaves and fish. Serving others is dying to self, no matter the action, and rising to new life in our relationships. In sum, the above manifests the Paschal Mystery's two aspects; temporal and eternal: Jesus redeemed mankind. But through the power of the Holy Spirit we still have to work out that salvation in our relationship with Jesus and neighbors. Helping us daily as we die and rise is the temporal and eternal Paschal Mystery.

REFERENCES:
Catechism of the Catholic Church(Ottawa,1994) 653,1069.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 1970.
“The Pascal Mystery” https//www smp org >dynamicmedia,>files
Webster's Dictionary definition of “Mystery” quoted in the above article

Bernard J. Callaghan