How Catholic Mysticism Is Practiced?

Mysticism is a term often used in Catholic spirituality, referring to the belief that spiritual growth leads all Catholics towards God. It involves cultivating a deep relationship with God through prayer, contemplation, and meditation. To engage in this practice, one must be willing to undergo mystical experiences, as laid down by St. Francis de Sales.

Practicing mysticism involves journaling, spiritual reading, taking spiritual direction, and performing various spiritual exercises. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that spiritual progress tends toward an intimate union with Christ, which is called’mystical’ because it participates in the mystery of Christ.

Mysticism is essentially a profound communion with God and his creation. It involves stilling the mind and heart to attune to the Divine’s quiet whispers. In this series of articles, we explore how the mystical experience is as relevant today as it was in earlier ages.

To practice mysticism, one can keep a journal, do spiritual reading, take spiritual direction, and perform various spiritual exercises. Mysticism is believed to be the eternal life begun when God communicates His life and love to the soul, allowing Him to do so freely.

Catholic mysticism includes practices such as contemplative prayer, asceticism, and is understood within the framework of Catholic theology and tradition. To practice mysticism, one should visit a monastery, learn to pray silently, and practice contemplative practices such as Lectio Divina and contemplation on the presence of God.

Was Jesus a mystic?

Jesus was a teacher of teachers and a mystic of mystics in various ways. His teachings and actions brought the British Empire to its knees, while his mystical poetry and passion for levitations and visions of fire inspired Saint Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Matthew Fox, a progressive theologian and Dominican priest, dedicated an entire book, “The Coming of the Cosmic Christ”, to the mysticism of Jesus. Jesus’ teachings and actions influenced many mystics, including Krisha, Buddha, Gandhi, Saint Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross.

What makes someone a Catholic mystic?

A modern mystic is a soul that is open to contemplation, where God draws a soul into a deeper union with Him for a time. Contemplation is a gift from God, inviting the soul to experience His suffering for love. A mystic meditates on the mysteries of faith, such as the Trinity, the Eucharist, redemptive suffering, and the consequences of original sin. They do not have to be a theologian but must remain true to the teachings of the Church, submitting themselves in obedience and humility.

The heart of a mystic is transformed by Love Himself, from fear and anxiety to a heart that naturally loves with abundance and self-sacrifice. This heart is moved to quiet and solitude when necessary, but also to action and service when warranted. It is content with a holy indifference, always quietly waiting and simultaneously seeking God. A mystic’s heart is ready to be and do all that God asks of them in every facet of their lives.

How do you practice Catholic mysticism?

To connect with your soul, practice mysticism through journaling, spiritual reading, direction, exercises, and prayer. The Catholic Herald is still recovering post-pandemic, but is reaching out to its loyal readership. They are raising £250, 000 to protect the Herald as a leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching, and encourage support for their 135-year mission. Join the Catholic community and readership in their mission.

How do you know if you’re a Catholic mystic?

True mystics possess a dominant idea that aligns with all others, such as the all-powerful nature of God and His love. They desire to respond to His love above all else, and have a passion for soul salvation and divine union. According to Mr. de Montmorand, true mystics are practical people of action, capable of handling affairs and organizing. Their works are enduring and viable, with their masterpiece being good sense, which is not troubled by morbid exaltation or disordered imagination, and is accompanied by the rare power of penetration.

Which saint is a mystic?

St. Teresa of Avila, a renowned Catholic mystic, was known for her visions, religious ecstasy, and body levitation during prayer. However, her religious writings aimed to de-mystify the religious experience and focus on its potential to help people grow in love for God and humanity. Despite being a Carmelite nun and reformer of the Carmelite way of life, she often muttered “God save me from pious nuns” under her breath. Despite her devotion to prayer, she was also practical and valued mundane activities like cooking and eating.

She had a keen understanding of the challenges posed by a life of prayer, admitting to depression and impatience for her release. Despite her mystical experiences from the beginning of her vocation, her interest in prayer expanded due to her mystical experiences, which made the daily communal recitation of prayers burdensome for her soul.

How is mysticism practiced?

Mysticism is a practice that involves acquiring skills to achieve visions, unitive experiences, and possession states. In the United States and the UK, approximately one-third of the population has experienced mystical experiences, with most of these being reveries. A small fraction of the population has mystical experiences caused by psychopathology, which are often reified. Mystical experiences can be induced voluntarily through various forms of meditation, such as mantras, Buddhist samadhi, Sufi dhikr, the Eastern Orthodox Jesus prayer, and staring at crystals, burning flames, or oil drops. Psychoactive drugs, such as those found in the fly agaric mushroom and the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga, have also been used in trances.

Reveries can also be induced voluntarily by visualizing and dwelling emotionally on mental images during waking consciousness. Mystical use has also been made of hypnagogic states, sensory deprivation, and constructions like caves and temples. The Kabbala and Ars magna, created by Catalan mystic Ramon Llull, and Inuit shamans rubbed a small stone in a circle on a larger one, both considered magical, but both consistently produced reverie states.

Did Jesus practice mysticism?

Jesus was a teacher of teachers and a mystic of mystics, entering the mysteries of the Holy Life and ways of living. He invited others to join him in his journey. The term “mystic” can be associated with various mystics, such as Krisha, Buddha, yogi, Gandhi, Saint Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross. Matthew Fox, a progressive theologian and Dominican priest, devotes an entire book, “The Coming of the Cosmic Christ”, to the mysticism of Jesus. Jesus’ teachings and teachings were deeply rooted in the teachings of his disciples, who were inspired by his teachings and the teachings of his disciples.

What are the 4 aspects of mysticism?

The mystical phenomenology is distinguished by a set of characteristics, including ineffability, a mystical quality, transiency, and passivity. James posits that this latter quality represents the most challenging aspect to convey in verbal form.

What are the three stages of the Catholic mystical journey?

Spiritual growth has been classified into three stages: purgative, illuminative, and unitive. The purgative stage involves initial stages such as conversion, turning away from sin, conforming to moral law, and establishing prayer and piety. Saint Teresa of Avila also categorized the journey into seven “mansions” or stages.

The illuminative stage is characterized by continuing growth, deeper prayer, virtues, love of neighbor, moral stability, surrender to Christ, detachment from non-God, and desire for full union. This stage is accompanied by trials, purifications, and sometimes mystical phenomena. Teresa’s fourth, fifth, and sixth mansions address issues related to this stage.

Over the centuries, various writers and Doctors of the Church have used this classification to describe the stages of spiritual growth.

Is mysticism allowed in Catholicism?

The Catholic doctrine posits that the ultimate purpose of life is to cultivate selfless love, thereby uniting with God. This is the primary focus of Catholic mysticism.

What are the three types of mystics?

R. C. Zaehner categorizes mysticism into three main types: theistic, monistic, and panenhenic. Theistic mysticism includes Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Hindu mysticism, while monistic mysticism is based on the unity of one’s soul and includes Buddhism and Hindu schools like Samkhya and Advaita vedanta. Nature mysticism refers to non-categorised examples.

Walter Terence Stace distinguished two types of mystical experiences: extrovertive and introvertive mysticism. Extrovertive mysticism involves the unity of the external world, while introvertive mysticism is an experience of unity devoid of perceptual objects. Unity in extrovertive mysticism is with the totality of objects of perception, while in introvertive mysticism, unity is with a pure consciousness. These experiences are nonsensical and nonintellectual, suppressing the whole empirical content.

Stace argues that doctrinal differences between religious traditions are inappropriate criteria for cross-cultural comparisons of mystical experiences. Mysticism is part of the process of perception, not interpretation, and the unity of mystical experiences is perceived and only interpreted according to the perceiver’s background. This may result in different accounts of the same phenomenon, such as an atheist describing unity as “freed from empirical filling” and a religious person describing it as “God” or “the Divine”.