the transcendent “otherness” of the Mystery he is pondering. In due time, we will follow John Paul II “if possible ‘to the very depths’ ” (TOB 87:6) of these mysteries (without, of course, claiming in any way to exhaust them—a metaphysical impossibility). For now we must content ourselves with some preliminary observations. In the Christian sense, “mystery” does not indicate a divine puzzle to be solved. It indicates the hidden reality and plan of God, the “innermost secret” of God. Although man