The Mystery of Faith

Why does the priest say "the mystery of faith"? A religious mystery is a truth about God that is beyond our understanding. That doesn't mean we shouldn't seek to comprehend it better, only that it is so great that we can never know it fully.
Anamnesis means remembering, which is why this part of the Mass is also called the Memorial Acclamation.
The memory we proclaim in the Eucharistic Prayer is different than any other memory—it isn't just in our heads or in the past! Christ's Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension were made present when Jesus made himself present moments ago in the Consecration.
While most of the Eucharistic Prayer is directed to God the Father in union with God the Son, here we address Jesus directly.
The Anamnesis also looks forward to Christ's triumphant Second Coming, when our salvation will be complete.
How is this possible? As Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." He is the eternal God, unencumbered by the limits of time and space. The Eucharistic Jesus is the Jesus of all time and of the eternity beyond time.
There are three options for the Anamnesis, each of which expresses in different words how the Eucharist makes the past, present, and future of salvation history present to us.

God wants to draw you deeper into the mystery of the faith. Take this opportunity to contemplate the Paschal Mystery and ask the Lord for deeper understanding.
Whichever acclamation you're praying at Mass, say the words with attention and purpose, truly reveling in Christ's saving work and yearning for him to come again.
Remember that being at Mass is spiritually the same as being at Calvary, the empty tomb, and the mountain of Ascension. Alleluia!
Allow yourself to experience wonder and gratitude at the salvation Jesus offers and the amazing way he makes it present in the Eucharist.

Then he says:
The mystery of faith.

And the people continue, acclaiming:

We proclaim your Death, o Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again.

Or:
When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your Death, o Lord, until you come again.

Or:
Save us, Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection you have set us free.

Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

This collect prayer begins the Mass for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Jesus is calling us to "take up battle against spiritual evils." We'll explore fasting itself in a few weeks; during the week of Ash Wednesday, we're going to dig into an important set of weapons the Lord gives us to fight evil: sacramentals.

What's a sacramental? Well, if you attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, you're probably going to receive one on your forehead.

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The Mystery of Faith

The Anamnesis

What Not to Miss

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