Time For Rejoicing and Giving Thanks!
Be careful! Do not let the enthusiasm and energy of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ to diminish! The Easter Season is our 50-day opportunity, after 40+ days of Lenten discipline. The newly initiated (14 persons) and those received into full communion in the Catholic Church (3 persons), are watching the rest of us. They want to know, “Now what?” And we need to show them.
Now is the time for rejoicing and giving thanks! Now is the time to lead and guide those who are learning! Now is the time for service and compassion!
The newly baptized persons are called “neophytes,” (a Greek word meaning “new plant”). They need special care and attention like new plants do. The newly baptized need to be nurtured and fed. They need to protected and strengthened. They need to be pruned and supported.
The Church has a special time for these neophytes which begins after Easter. This period is called mystagogy (pronounced: MIST-a-go-gee). It is a time in which the newly initiated are lead through the mysteries of the Sacraments they have received. Through the Sacraments they are now included in a deeper participation in the Body of Christ, the People of God, the Church. They are not new members of a club. They are new participants in the rich community of faith of Christians, followers of Christ.
The mystery of the Sacraments is not something that is hidden. Mystery in this case refers to something that is deep and rich, and the mystery keeps unfolding itself, revealing more to those who are looking and paying attention. While the neophytes were prepared during months of classes, prayers, and rituals in order to be prepared to receive the Sacraments, they now need time to process the experience and deepen their appreciation of what they have been given. The Holy Spirit never stops working, animating, challenging, inviting, etc.
The journey of the neophytes is an invitation to all of us to reflect upon and reanimate the graces of the Sacraments all of us have received. We are given a chance to review our own Sacraments of Initiation, as well as our participation in the Sacrament of Marriage, or Reconciliation, or Anointing of the Sick. Each Sacrament is a doorway to mystery, to deep meaning. Each Sacrament is an expression of God’s love for us which is in invitation to us to express God’s love to others. Happy Easter!
Peace, Fr. Andy