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Brief Guide to Christian Mysticism in the Church

by Bianca J. Ward

Learn who mystics are, the role of visions in the Church, and more in this introduction to the history, study, and practice of Christian mysticism.

Mysticism, the study of the mystical or unexplainable, is gaining popularity today as many embrace New Age practices such as psychic development, Tarot readings, and more. Yet mysticism has a history in the Church dating back to the disciples seeing the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and elsewhere after his death. Learn more about what mysticism is and its relationship with the Church in this brief guide.

What is Mysticism?

The word mysticism originates from the Greek myein meaning "initiate." Mysticism is direct contact between a believer and the divine. Throughout human history, believers around the world have described contact with God through visions and other unexplainable experiences. Every major world religion, including Christianity, has mystical branches- Sufism in Islam and Kabbalah in Judaism, for example. For Christians, believers who have directly connected with God through visions or other means are known as mystics.

Christian Mysticism in the New Testament

christian mysticism

In the New Testament, Christians began to have mystical experiences of God after Jesus' death. Visions, auditory and visual, were common means of God communicating to believers after Jesus' death as Jesus was no longer in human form to teach and guide. Christians believe the Holy Spirit, God's continual presence after Jesus' death, and the third member of the Christian Trinity, is the source of such occurrences.

The Jewish Saul's conversion of the Road to Damascus is one of the best-known mystical experiences in the New Testament. According to Acts Chapter 9, a bright light blinded Saul, and when he heard God asking, "Why do you persecute me," a mystical experience Saul interpreted as God communicating with him. Saul immediately changed his name to Paul and joined the Church as an apostle, spreading Jesus' teachings throughout the known world.

Christian Mysticism in the Early Church

Mystical experiences were a common experience of faith for believers in the early Church. The Roman noblewoman Perpetua (200's AD), who converted to Christianity, quoted several visions of God working in her life while in prison for her faith. Perpetua frequently used the simple words, "I see" in Latin to explain how God talked to her, the Latin video being the basis for the English word "vision' commonly associated with mystical experiences throughout the life of the Church. Early saints' lives are full of believers who also "saw" Jesus, God, and angels, and heaven as they struggled with torture and death during the Roman persecutions.

Are Visions Dangerous for Christians?

During the Middle Ages, Christians began to rely more on Church teaching and the Eucharist rather than mystical experiences to understand their relationships with God. With this shift came a caution towards mystical experiences. Even today, some Christians believe that mystical experiences such as visions, speaking in tongues, and out-of-body experiences are dangerous or caused by Satan.

In the ancient world, people believed all kinds of spirits could communicate with humans. So many early Christians felt God speak to them through visions and other mystical experiences that Paul and others taught how to discern if a mystical experience was genuine. The New Testament writers urge Christians in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 4, and elsewhere to carefully seek God in any mystical experience (the use of spiritual gifts). If the gift or experience glorifies God and the Church, it is a beneficial expression of faith. On the other hand, if the experience glorifies the self, fixates on personal desires, could potentially harm others, or was just too good to be true, a Christian would deem the experience hazardous and not of God.

Mysticism in the Church Today

For the modern Catholic Church, a mystical experience is but one of the ways that God guides and cares for believers. Tradition, Scripture, and doctrine are given precedence, as these foundations of faith unite the Church as a Christian community.

That isn’t to say that mysticism isn’t important. Every saint must have miracles or mystical experiences that share Christ’s love with the world, to be canonized. Indeed, practicing believers experience the mystical union between Christ and the Church during every Mass at the Eucharist.

Mysticism has roots in human connection with the divine. For Christians, mysticism is a part of their history and beliefs as Christ’s Church survives over two millennia after his death.

Christian Mysticism: Talking to God?

Christian mysticism uses prayer and self-denial as a way of communing with God, but the deeper aspects refer to Jesus losing his life on the cross and the mission of Jesus as described in the New Testament. There are several stages to Christian mysticism. The first is practicing self-discipline. Prayers can be said to a kept timetable. The lifestyle of the Christian mystic will be appropriate to the task; clothing will be simple and only food needed to maintain basic health will be consumed. Charitable acts will be performed perhaps for the sick or elderly.

Experience of God

The individual will eventually start to practice individual meditation and contemplation, focusing on God and Jesus’ life even more. The Holy Spirit will be experienced by the Christian who will have deeper and more intense experiences of God. A sense of togetherness with the divine will be achieved. The mystic must distance him/herself from the world completely, cutting off material and psychological ties of a lifetime. This is described in the work by Thomas a Kempis called The Imitation of Christ.

Meditation and Contemplation

Contemplation and meditation are essential. A person could contemplate a biblical verse, a holy relic, or a religious statue. An abstract entity can also be contemplated, like the life of the Virgin Mary or Christian virtue. Meditation has traditionally not been used as much, seen as a part of other faiths more often than Christianity. Meditation is still practiced in some Christian groups such as repetition of thoughts, prayers, or mantras. The worship of the Holy Spirit, considered an emanation or spiritual force from Jesus working through a believer, is a major factor and believers will try to strengthen the power of the Holy Spirit within them. An attempt to emulate the mystical experiences of Christ is also a factor.

The Cathars

The Cathars were a religious group who believed in rejecting the material world as fundamentally evil to be completed closer to God. They developed in the eleventh century in southern France. This put them up against the Catholic Church of the day who thought that the world was created by God. They were hence charged as heretics and the Cathar faith was merged into the Orthodox Catholic one through the Inquisition. It is difficult for Christian mystics as is true to some extent in all faiths, to put their experiences into words.

Mystical Feeling

The mystical feeling has always been somewhat against established religious authorities. Some mystics would say that a social structure and rituals would be unnecessary to becoming closer to God. The Quietist movement attempted to replace the ‘I’ of the self with a personal relationship with God in which he permeated everything. Influential in Europe in the seventeenth century, they did not ask for God’s intervention in the world due to this idea of abandoning the self.


About the Author

Bianca J. Ward used to be an HR manager, but now she is a professional essay writer at EssayWriterFree where she provides people with qualitative works. Besides, she is a passionate photographer and traveler who has visited 52 countries all over the world. Bianca dreams about creating a photo exhibition to present her works to others.

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