Father Richard Rohr explains why the wisdom of the mystics is important to the future of Christianity and the healing of our souls:
In the early 1960s, the Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner suggested that if Western Christianity did not rediscover its mystical foundations, we might as well close the doors of the churches because we had lost the primary reason for our existence. We don’t need to be afraid of the word “mystic.” It simply means one who has moved from mere belief or belonging systems about God to actual inner experience. All spiritual traditions at their mature levels agree that such a movement is possible, desirable, and even available to everyone.
Until someone has had some level of inner religious experience, there is no point in asking them to follow the ethical ideals of Jesus or to really understand Christian doctrines beyond the formulaic level. We quite simply don’t have the power to follow any gospel ideal—such as loving others, forgiving enemies, living simply and nonviolently, or humble use of power—except in and through union with God. Nor do doctrines like the Trinity, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, salvation, or the mystery of incarnation have meaning that actually changes our lives. Without inner experience of the Divine, these are merely ideas in books. Without having what Bill Wilson of Alcoholics Anonymous called “a vital spiritual experience,” nothing authentically new or life-giving happens. [1]
Scholar Elaine Heath emphasizes that the inner experience of the mystics is connected to their concern for the outer world:
Mysticism, contrary to popular belief, is not essentially about private numinous experiences…. Christian mysticism is about the holy transformation of the mystic by God, so that the mystic becomes instrumental in the holy transformation of God’s people. This transformation always results in missional action in the world….
Those who could properly be called the great Christian mystics, such as St. John of the Cross, attained a radical degree of holy transformation as a result of their encounters with the Triune God. That is, their inward transformation resulted in an outward life of extraordinary impact on the world…. Christian mysticism … is the God-initiated experience of being moved beyond oneself into greater depths of divine love. This movement results in an inward transformation of wholeness and integration and an outward life of holiness, an increasing love of God and neighbor. [2]
Father Richard concludes:
For the great mystics of all religions, God is always experienced as abiding in their own soul and, in seeming contradiction, as totally transcendent and mysterious at the same time! God is both intimate and ultimate, no longer “out there,” though not just “in here,” either. When we know that we are living tabernacles of the Great Transcendence, the gap is forever overcome in our very existence. We gain a tremendous respect for ourselves (and others), while also knowing this is a totally free gift from God. This may be experienced as deep peace and contentment, an ultimate sense of being at home. [3]
References:
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, A Spring Within Us: A Book of Daily Meditations (CAC Publishing, 2016), 31–32.
[2] Elaine A. Heath, The Mystic Way of Evangelism: A Contemplative Vision for Christian Outreach (Baker Academic, 2008), 15–16.
[3] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Just This (CAC Publishing, 2017), 64.
Image credit and inspiration: Alexander Klarmann, Untitled (detail), 2017, photo, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. The leaf can be a doorway into being with what is, experiencing the ineffable and intangible nature of the Great Mystery.
Story from Our Community:
I’m grateful for Dr. B’s teachings which have allowed me to accept my own mystical insights. Over the years, I have experienced many sights, events, and sounds that have felt beyond this everyday world and infused with profound truth. I have cherished the intense beauty of morning’s first light, the momentary flames of a winter sunset, and the aurora borealis hinting at the power of God. I have seen great tenderness shown by those hurt by life. I find these moments to be powerful reminders of our Creator’s constant involvement in everyday life.
—Mimi G.
