The Mystical Path

Some of the greatest Saints of the Catholic Church led lives of spiritual aridity, and suffered great persecutions even from within their own families and Religious Orders. But even though their souls were immersed in the depths of darkness, where they were deprived of all consolations, yet they did not fall into despair.

It is these souls who learned to love God for who He IS, rather than what He could give them. It is these privileged souls who held within their hearts, the Pearl of Great Price. They did not seek after the glitter or the glory of their encounter with the Divine. In fact most of these noble Saints were silent about their struggles and inner aridity.

Those who seek spiritual 'highs' are in most danger of falling into despair, for it is not God they seek, but the 'feelings' of exultation through the manipulations of emotions, rather than their dependence on God. This hunger for spiritual 'highs' is a form of unhealthy spirituality.

Before the soul can reach this Mystical completeness with God, they must first be purified. This is a very painful experience as the soul undergoes a withering heat which burns away their love of worldly things and longing for attention. It is a holocaust of the heart as God purifies the soul so as to occupy it. This happens so that no longer do you live but Christ lives within you.

The great Mystics of our Faith eschew any longing for 'feelings.' They recognise that these 'feelings' will lead them astray, from the purpose of which God is drawing them into union with the Divine.

Neither do these great Mystics promote a cold 'detachment' in that a soul who is on fire for love of God is not cold towards others, but deeply humbled towards all. There is much misunderstanding in what detachment is: we are to become detached from a longing of 'things' but not to foster a coldness or chilliness towards anyone. Detachment is to appreciate that all things made by God is good but they do not become dependent upon the created, but, instead they remain dependent upon the Creator.

God's Love is a fiery furnace which consumes the soul completely, without nullifying the uniqueness of the individual. The Church has had many Mystics, but, no two have been the same, in that St. Catherine of Siena is not St. Therese of Lisieux, yet both are Mystics of the one Faith.

In order for God to work within the soul uninterrupted He first has to empty the soul of any egoism, emotionalism and attachments. The soul in effect becomes an empty vessel and it is then that God fills the empty vessel with the Essence of the Divine. This does not 'divinize' the person, but it does make them a living reflection of the Triune Spirit, indwelling within them.

In the end it is the Mystic who dies to self will, and arises with the spark of the Divine Love, which then spills itself out for love of others. In this they can truly say 'I have been Crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.'

Written by Marie

Demystifying Mysticism

A mystic is not someone who walks around with their head in the clouds, thinking profound thoughts 24 hours a day or who has lost touch with the world around them, that is not true mysticism that is simple day dreaming. Some of the greatest Mystics in the Catholic Church were very practical people, they were not fanciful and given to whimsy. St. Teresa of Avila could never be described as whimsical or fanciful this was a Saint who very much had her feet planted firmly on the ground.

St. Teresa was a very practical woman, who needed to travel long distances to make sure her Order was maintaining it's spiritual integrity and to encourage her fellow Sisters. This strong willed Saint also had to deal with the residing Priests and Bishops of each Dioceses, which took a lot of skill in the diplomatic area of respecting and being obedient to those in positions of authority. Teresa was a steely woman of immense courage and intellect, one could never term such a woman as 'fanciful' or given over to day dreams.

A true mystic is not one who becomes so coldly distant to those around them that their very persona is chilling and icy, that is not ascetics it is quietism, which the Church repudiates. A mystic is a soul who is passionately in love with God, and is not afraid to express this Divine Passion to all they meet. They are also not caught up in the daily travails of inconveniences but instead see beyond the complaint to the blessing that God is teaching them. Mystics are those who live in the present moment they do not pine for yesterday's or tomorrow's.

The person who has surrendered themselves to God, and live fully present to the Divine do so by way of the Cross. But what sets the mystic aside from others is that the true Mystic does not run away from their cross but fully embrace it without allowing the taint of bitterness to corrupt or impede God's fiery holocaust of their imperfections. In affect they do not allow their emotions to lead them astray when situations can become fraught and difficult, nor do they grow faint and lose faith when God hides His Holy Presence from them. The Mystic instead waits upon God with trust and Confidence not in their own goodness, but in God's Goodness and Divine Love.

From their own sufferings the mystic learns compassion, faithfulness and empathy for those who also struggle on their faith journey. They also have been freed from running with their emotions to a more disciplined lifestyle of prayer, solitude and openness to those who suffer, in full knowledge of the purgative pain of learning the truth about oneself. God will reveal our hidden wounds and bear our own souls to an inner scrutiny that is excruciating as the Divine cleanses us of our imperfections and impediments that stand in the way of God's Grace.

The true Mystic has a vibrant and joyous personality. They live lives of great passion for love of God alone, for they do not depend on the world to give them validation, but instead rely on God solely. This does not make them unaware of their immediate surroundings but instead leads them to a deeper discourse with the Divine, as they intercede for those who are in need, and for the salvation of souls.

The soul that is in love with God is a soul that journey's forth boldly but with utmost humility in full awareness as to what they have received from God. They go forth with the innate responsibility to speak God's Truth without artifice. They exude an inner vitality and beauty though they may not have the requirements of superficial 'prettiness', but their spirit enlivens their face which brings forth vivacity in their expressions. Their personality is such that they draw people to them or they drive people away from them, not because they are fearsome, but because corruption cannot stand in the presence of that which has been purified by God.

But the most important component of any Mystic is a good sense of humour. The ascetic may walk around with long and gloomy faces, but not the Mystic, whose whole soul illuminates the indwelling Spirit and has gained the ability to laugh at the ridiculous without losing decorum.

Though many of our great Mystics encountered divine visions, revelations and mystical union with God, still their souls spent more time in aridity than they did in the mystical realm of the supernatural elements of mysticism.

In short those who live a mystical life are those who no longer focus on the ego but are fully alive to the present and the opportunities that present itself in their day to day lives. They face life in all practicality whether it be fortuitous or in adversity. Their beliefs are not shaken, as they combine prayer with a life of action, and walk with confidence and humility of what they have been given and by whom....from a loving God.

The Mystic Path

There have been many Great Mystics in The Catholic Church, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Catherine of Sienna, Francis of Assisi to name but a few.

But what exactly is Mysticism?

A mystic is someone who feels a longing for God, a great thirst within their souls which cannot be quenched. It is not a case of looking for God, but of God touching the soul with the spark of The Divine, which then ignites a holocaust within the soul of the recipient. This does not mean that one's soul is annihilated but that the Ego is annihilated, for God does not kill the soul but consumes the soul in the purifying furnace of His Love.

It is a dark journey that God invites the soul, where a blanket of immense blackness envelops the soul. As all light disappears the soul feels itself abandoned by its one true love, God. It is a searing of the intellect in that all worldly consolations are removed. As God readies the soul for Himself to make a home within the person. It is the wooing of the Divine to His beloved. Therefore the person is no longer interested in the superficial, nor can it be appeased by the artificial, for once the soul has been ignited by the Divine, all else pales and there is no substitute.

This is a painful and at times an excruciating experience for those who are called to a higher degree of perfection, than most. Often times, the person mistakes this call as a punishment or a chastisement, and in confusion the person returns to the consolations of the world. This does not make God love the soul less, but it does reveal that it is the person in question who is lacking in spiritual maturity and also in trust.

It is a Divine call which few can endure, for it seeks to purify the soul without destroying it. To embrace the uniqueness of the individual without crushing it. To extinguish the element of self love and replace it with the Divine. Even though a person cannot enter nor become divinized, a spark of the Divine Love which penetrates to the depths of the soul will purify it from all worldly love. This is done in order for the soul to be in the Presence of the Triune Spirit, which seeks to inhabit the soul of the loved by The Beloved.

In effect it is an intimate touch of The Creator to the created. The Divine Spark which when felt in all its Purity and intensity will change the person forever, and from which there is no cure nor is a cure sought. As the deer panteth after the water so the soul thirsts for God with a longing that only God Himself can appease.