Solving the Unsolved Mystery!

Unsolved Mysteries!  It was my favorite television show in the 90’s.

The show was consisted of telling 4-5 stories that have YET to be solved; from missing persons, to possible ghost encounters.  They would usually start the show with some ridiculous background music and the line, “Maybe you can help solve the next unsolved mystery.”  If you were lucky, the end of the show would have an “Update,” where they would explain how they solved a previous mysterious case!

I bring this up because in many cases, our society doesn’t like mystery.  A mystery is something that needs to be solved!  We like answers!  It's probably why I became an Engineer!  From math, chemistry to physics, I was constantly given equations, mysteries, and asked to solve the problem.  And so when I entered in to my faith and they kept talking about the Mystery of our faith, you can understand how I responded.  Three persons and one God, The Eucharist, Jesus Christ being fully Divine and fully human, "Oh I'm going to solve it!"  I was an engineer after all and any problem I was given had a solution!

And yet there is something unique about our faith that is quite different than a math equation or engineering problem.  Our faith is centered and founded on Relationship!  Our God is a communion of persons.  The very essence of God is a relationship of persons.  And we were made in that image and likeness of God.  We were made for relationship and communion! 

The one thing that I've learned about relationships is that they are a mystery, not something that can be solved!  If you have ever fallen in love, you can’t explain the mystery that has taken you over, you can only enter into that relationship.  Maybe it's why we say "love is blind," because it doesn't make sense, it's not an equation that can be explained, but only something that we can enter into.  Maybe that is why I must be a sucker for weddings, for it is a mystery of love between the bride and the groom that we enjoy, not an equation that has been solved!  It is the same with our faith! 

So the next time the priest proclaims “the Mystery of Faith”, during the Eucharist Liturgy prepare yourself.  Not for an equation to be solved, but a relationship to enter into!