The Holy Mysteries are a manifestation of the unique All- Mystery – the Church, in which the Lord Himself grants man divine life and delivers him from sin, death and the devil. This blessed truth is also confirmed by the great father of the Church, Saint Nicholas Cabasilas, who said that the Church is represented in the Holy Mysteries. All the Holy Mysteries are performed in a mysterious way by the good pleasure of the Heavenly Father, by the presence of the Son (Christ), – who is the only true High Priest Who offers and is offered, who receives and is distributed – Christ our God, as the prayer of the Cherubim Song reminds us, – and by the gracious action of the Holy Spirit.
The gracious life of the Church that is manifested through the Holy Mysteries is seen in the realization of communion with Christ. This sacred connection between the Church and the Holy Mysteries is understandable only in the light of the connection between the Church and the Eucharist. In this spirit, the famous Dionysius the Areopagite speaks of the Eucharist as the Mystery of Mysteries, which is at the core of all the Holy Mysteries, thereby indicating that the entire sacramental life is founded and crowned by the Mystery of mysteries – the Holy Eucharist. The Liturgy gives meaning to the Holy Mysteries, because it contains within itself the vast mystery of salvation. Guided by this truth, the Christian ethos and participation in the Eucharist represent in history, here and now, the fullness of both freedom and love that is abundantly bestowed upon us by the perfect Giver of good things, our loving Lord, which is why Saint Theodore the Studite reminds us that the Holy Liturgy is a repetition of the entire Divine-human economy of salvation.
Following the above truths about the importance of sacramental life, the portal “Kinonia” brings a series called “Sacramental Theology”, which contains an interpretation of the Holy Mysteries. The contents of the above series, edited by catechist Branislav Ilić, are published in the column of the same name on the portal every Saturday.
The series contains one hundred lessons and is divided into three cycles. The first cycle is introductory in nature and, in addition to the story about the Holy Mysteries in general, contains discussions about the historical development and significance of the Holy Mysteries of Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage. The second cycle brings a detailed story about the Holy Mysteries of the priesthood, as well as a detailed interpretation of the Mystery of Mysteries – the Holy Eucharist. The first part of the third cycle continues the interpretation of the Holy Liturgy, and is complemented by a story about ancient anaphoras. The final cycle contains an interpretation of the Holy Sacrament of the Consecration of the Oil, the Holy Sacrament of Penance, the sacred act of monasticism, the Great and Small Consecration of Water, the Consecration of Holy Myrrh, the Act of the Great Consecration (Carrying the Throne) of the Church, as well as the rites for the deceased, thus crowning the series “Sacred Theology”.
You can follow the contents of the new series of the “Kinonia” portal entitled “Sacred Theology” in the section of the same name HERE.