The aroma of freshly brewed coffee climbs up the stairs to meet you as you descend into the early hours of the day. You settle securely into a comfortable chair as you savor the coffee, enjoying the scene framed by your kitchen window, whether it is the impressive skyline of a bustling city or the serene landscape of the familiar countryside. As you soak in those moments, you hear the familiar sound of your youngest child descending the stairs. He greets you with a sunny smile as he climbs into your lap and rests his head upon your heart. You feel him breathe slowly, in and out, as he senses the beating of your heart.
Moments like these are far from inconsequential or routine. As a matter of fact, they have the potential of becoming sacred. The visible world around us—full of sights, sounds, smells, touches, and tastes—is the familiar landscape of life that reveals so much more: the very mysteries of God. By learning a “new way” of sensing the material realities around us, we can truly become attuned to the deepest mysteries of God. This is what the Catholic Church means when she talks about sacramentality, or the sacramental worldview.
Let’s take the image from above. The little boy in your arms can be a sign, a reminder of the intimacy that you enter into every time you encounter Jesus in the Eucharist. You, like the child, are embraced by Jesus and experience the consolation of hearing his heart beat for love of you. The visible moment of embracing a child draws your heart to contemplate the invisible love that you are embraced by at every Mass, with every Holy Communion.
Over the next several months, I hope to accompany you on a journey of discovery. This beautiful world God fashioned and the things that human beings create (if they are ordered toward the good) are signs that—if we learn how to read them—point us to God and the fullness of life he has prepared for us in heaven. When we learn to read the signs that surround us at every moment of our lives, we become attuned to the hidden realities of God’s grace.
This, in turn, leads us to live a Eucharistic Life, first by enabling us to participate fully, actively, and consciously in the Mass, our highest prayer. Flowing from our experience of the Eucharist, we secondly learn to see one another and the world around us through a truly Eucharistic lens: we learn to see with the eyes of Christ.
The familiar “things” become sacred signs that point us to Jesus, who reveals God fully to us through the Incarnation. Christ leads us to his Church, the “universal sacrament of salvation” (Lumen gentium, no. 48), and through her, he unites us to himself. Our senses, informed and conformed to the sensibilities of our Catholic faith, are transformed into signs that direct us to the fullness of the living God.
Alongside this series, each month we will feature a companion children’s guide called “Looking for Jesus,” created by our dear friend Katie Bogner. Developed for teachers and families with children in elementary school, this double-sided printable will introduce the younger members of our Church to a sacramental worldview by connecting everyday objects and experiences with the Sacred Mysteries we enter into at Mass. There will even be a coloring page for our youngest ones!
I also want to take a moment to offer some words of gratitude. I am deeply indebted to my dear friend, Dr. Tim O’Malley, for his tireless work in the field of sacramental theology and the many ways he has inspired and informed me as I’ve worked on this series. And finally, to someone both Tim and I are strongly influenced by, and for whom I have the admiration and gratitude that words cannot express: Fr. Romano Guardini, the great liturgical theologian of the 20th century.
As we enter this Jubilee Year, you may recall that Pope Francis proclaimed that 2025 would be a Jubilee Year. First, he wrote a letter dated February 11, 2022, in preparation for the Jubilee Year. Then, on May 9, 2024, not only did he announce the Jubilee in St. Peter’s Basilica, but the Vatican also published his Bull of Indiction, formally proclaiming the Jubilee Year in writing.
Every time the Pope communicated to the Church about the Jubilee, it required words. Each of us uses words to communicate all day, every day. No matter the language we speak or the culture in which we live, we need words to express ourselves, to communicate information, and to share the deepest movements of our hearts. Even our brothers and sisters who are unable to speak can communicate with sign language, a visual expression of words.
Just as we use words in the glorious moments of life—such as proclaiming a Year of Jubilee—and in simple daily matters—such as telling your spouse the time he or she needs to pick up your children from school—God uses words to communicate with us.
Jesus himself is called the Word of God, and he took on flesh through the mystery of the Incarnation to bring the Good News, the Gospel, to each one of us. Jesus the Word constantly used words to tell us about the Kingdom of God and our Father’s great love for us.
There is no place on earth where words are more profound than in the Mass. The Mass is the highest form of prayer that we have. During Mass, we relive with Jesus his Paschal Mystery: his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. We can unite ourselves to him in his perfect sacrifice upon the Cross and be co-workers with him as he continues to share the fruits of redemption won through his glorious Resurrection.
As a matter of fact, the first major “section” of the Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word: “In the Liturgy of the Word, the Church feeds the People of God from the table of his Word (see Sacrosanctum concilium, no. 51). The Scriptures are the Word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures, God speaks to us, leading us along the path to salvation.”
The Cycle of Readings, over a three-year period, is meant to help us ponder and enter into the full breadth of salvation history. Each set of Mass readings was prayerfully and thoughtfully put together so that, as we listen to the proclamation of the Word of God, we come to know God’s great love for us, especially through Jesus, our Savior. Although the number of readings varies between three (on Sundays and Solemnities) and two (on weekdays), there is also a psalm response to help us meditate on the sacred texts. The high point is always the Gospel, during which we hear the very words and witness the very deeds of Jesus. In the Word of God, we encounter most powerfully Jesus, the Word of God!
At Mass, we listen to words, speak words, read words, and sing and/or chant words. Through these words, God expresses himself to us and teaches and informs us about our relationship with him and others, our identity as his beloved children, and the mission of Jesus, which we are invited to participate in. God shares the depths of his heart with us, and he invites us to do the same.
Next time you go to Mass, listen not just with the ears of your body, but with the ears of your heart. Speak the responses and prayers from the very core of your being. And finally, do not be afraid to enter more deeply into a heart-to-heart conversation with the Lord in the inner silence of your own soul. God has given us words to enrich our lives each and every day. May we allow this gift to also lead us into deeper intimacy, love, and trust when we experience God throughout the day, and particularly in the Mass!
Download Looking for Jesus, a Companion Children’s Bulletin (also available in Spanish), and The Monstrance, a coloring page (also available in Spanish) created by Katie Bogner.
Sr. Alicia Torres is a member of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago. In addition to participating in the apostolic works of her religious community, she has been serving the National Eucharistic Revival since 2021.
Katherine Bogner is a Catholic school teacher from Central Illinois who is passionate about equipping parents, catechists, and teachers to share the beauty and truth of Christ and his Church with children. She is the author of Through the Year with Jesus. Visit www.LookToHimAndBeRadiant.com, for resources for teaching the faith.
