Saturday, June 28, 2014

Reflection #24: Mysticism Runs Deep

I’ve come to realize that I have a streak of mysticism that runs deep in me. This is not to say I am a mystic through and through, but as I get older I find myself more and more attracted to the spiritual practices of the mystics, as well as their ideas and insights. This movement toward mysticism is one I see happening in many who are part of the church family, perhaps this is an indication that Christianity is entering The Age of the Spirit (as theologian Phyllis Tickle asserts). Embracing mysticism more fully is perhaps what Christianity needs to do at this stage in history. Karl Rahner, a 20th century German Jesuit theologian, wrote “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.”  (Theological Investigations Volume XX).   For Rahner mysticism does not mean some esoteric phenomenon but “a genuine experience of God emerging from the very heart of our existence.” That statement, however, leaves much unexplained, rather it points to a greater mystery, a profound wonder.  It is the combination of wonder and mystery that I associate with mysticism.

Looking at our cultural and religious shifts over the past few centuries Richard Rohr, Franciscan author and mystic, writes in his book The Naked Now “We moved from wondering to answering, which has not served us well at all. This reached its nadir in what we today call fundamentalism, common in almost all religions. Let’s start wondering again.” The more I study the Bible the more I wonder. The more I read of scientific discoveries and breakthroughs the more I wonder. The more I listen to the stories and experiences of people the more I wonder, the more I am drawn into the numinous. This wondering does not always need to seek answers, sometimes it is content to remain in the realm of awe and mystery.

In his book The Other Side of Silence Morton T. Kelsey writes “For many Christians mysticism is either illusion or delusion…a flight from reality and, even worse, a flight from Christian morality and responsibility… Yet those who call themselves mystics speak of finding the goal and fulfillment of the religious quest in their experiences. They suggest that the meaning of religion lies in the reality which they encounter through this inner realm and, in particular, that the inspiration and power of Christianity comes from this reality. It is just such experiences, they find, which open us to the source of love (God) and bring us its creative and heroic energies.”

Perhaps my real awakening to mysticism came from an experience I had while participating in a simple worship service at the Qu’Appelle House of Prayer.  I had gone out to this retreat centre seeking a spiritual director, thinking this would help me with some struggles I was having in my vocation at the time. I was not even aware there was a service scheduled until I was invited to stay for worship if I wanted to. I was forewarned that the worship would have times of extended silence.  In my mind I thought this might be boring, but in my spirit I felt a compulsion to stay.  That contemplative worship service surprised me by its quiet power – I experienced the love of God pouring into me in a way that was healing and renewing, affirming and comforting.  It was a transitional  and transformational moment for me.

Contemplation began to be part of my religious experience, and I began offering contemplative worship services at my church (first with something I called Ambient Vespers, then with an alternative worship experience called Mysterium which has been running for over 5 years now).  It was through these contemplative services that I discovered there were many others who also found this form of worship, this approach to prayer, deeply meaningful.  This was prayer as listening to God rather than prayer as a list of requests made to God.  Contemplation was enriching my spiritual life. Richard Rohr writes “Contemplation refuses to be reductionistic. Contemplation is an exercise in keeping your heart and mind spaces open long enough for the mind to see other hidden material. It is content with the naked now and waits for futures given by God and grace.”  (from The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See)

Perhaps many would still hold that mystics are people who are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.  This has not been my experience, and nor is it true of most of the mystics I have read about.  Carl McColman, in his helpful volume TheBig Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality writes “Mysticism is about immersion in the great stream of Christian thinking, from the wisdom of the Bible to the teachings of the great mystics themselves. But it’s also about putting down all the books and retreating into silence and solitude to encounter the God who calls you to love. And then it’s about returning from solitude to engage in real-world life and relating to other people in love and joy, in conflict and challenge, in suffering and trials.”

It is through being open to the presence of God fully that we are given clear vision as to God’s will for us and the power to carry that out – and as Jesus made clear in his teachings God’s will for us is primarily about loving others.  It is in listening for the quiet, gentle voice of God that we are nudged to actions of compassion and justice, reconciliation and restoration. Mysticism leads to a greater involvement in the world, or perhaps it better said, involvement in the world with greater vision of God’s intention.

No comments:

Post a Comment