For many in the modern West, mysticism now means the same thing as mystification, referring to a twilight world of the irrational and paranormal. If there’s a mysticism section at your local bookstore, what you’ll find there is likely a farrago of New Age blather, texts on crystal handling and tarot-card reading, and yoga manuals that promise weight loss and a better sex li (...)
Article
Nearer to God
Demystifying Mysticism
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What a beautiful, cogent, helpful, timely and well-written article. Thank you.
Thanks for a wonderfully informative article! In a column that I write for the Camden, NJ, diocesan newspaper I offer that every baptised Catholic is a contemporary expression of Christ and an "everyday mystic." Pope John XXIII instructed us to "read the signs of the times:" we should look, with the eyes of faith, to see God's presence and intentions for us in today's society and culture. We can discern God's presence and intentions for us in our personal gifts, talents, possibilities and opportunities--in sum, in our individual vocations. Then, within the one, living Catholic faith, we can prophetically act to elevate our society and culture, and where necessary, remedy and correct them in the creative, saving and world-transforming love and grace of Christ.
Thus we can help fulfill a prayer that I believe is ascribed to Daniel Berrigan, "Dear God, send us mystics with hands!"
Thank you, Lawrence Cunningham, for the fine article. Now how about an article on pseudo-mysticism? There are many Catholics who are afraid of mystical/contemplative prayer because they think it smaks of New Age nonsense or it's suspiciously like some of the objectionable Asian practices. Some purportedly Christian practices are, I think, not Christian at all, but all the more reason to dompare the sorts of experience that the Church has learned over the years not to trust with the practices which encourage sanctity.
An article contrasting Brother Lawrence with, say, one of the Upanishads or even the Buddha himself would be very interesting and instructive. No, not very ecumenical, but I think the differences need to be aired. Young people, I think, would be particularly interested.