The Mystery Revealed

An original definition of the word sacrament was simple. It meant “a visible sign of an invisible grace" according to Augustine of Hippo or as many still teach today, “all of life is a sacrament.” Eastern Orthodox call these sacraments mysteries because we see one thing and believe another. Let us pray to see God’s invisible grace in the visible things around us. For instance, communion bread is far more than a mere symbol. It is a sacrament, a visible sign of an invisible grace through which Jesus the Messiah is revealed to us. Has the mystery also been revealed to us that, “The Lord is risen indeed” (Luke 24:34)?