Great introduction to Christian Mysticism!

“In the middle of the night when all things were in a quiet silence, there was spoken to me a hidden word. It came like a thief by stealth.” Meister Eckhart in a four-sermon cycle, quoting the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon, chapter 18, verses 14 to 15.

“The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism”, edited by Bernard McGinn, is a thick anthology of excerpts gleaned from a huge variety of Christian mystics. McGinn is the Naomi Shenstone Donnelly Professor Emeritus at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, and he does a masterful job writing introductions to all the major sections of the book. In the main introduction, McGinn defines Christian mysticism (and mysticism generally) and outlines the map that details his voyage through this vast ocean of tradition.

I had no idea that Christian Mysticism was so prevalent, or that its subject matter was so attractive, or so rich in wisdom, until I perused this book! The book is divided into 3 main parts. Part 1 deals with the Foundations of Mystical Practice, which contains 5 sections (Biblical Interpretation, Ascetism, etc . . ) Part 2 deals with the Aspects of Mystical Consciousness (Love and Knowledge, Positive and Negative ways to God, Encountering Christ). Part 3 deals with Implications of the Mystical Life (Contemplation and Action, Mysticism and Heresy). McGinn chooses mystics that you’ve probably never heard of (I sure hadn’t!): Francis De Sales, John Ruusbroec, Catherine of Siena, John Tauler, Therese of Lisieux, Maximus the Confessor, Nicholas of Cusa, etc. And we have works and writings that I didn’t have a clue about: The Spiritual Canticle, The Little Book of Enlightenment, Homily, Story of a Soul, The Fire of Love, Vision and Rapture, Spiritual Friendship, The Mind’s Journey into God, The Ladder of Perfection, The Way of the Pilgrim, The Clock of Wisdom, and so much more!

In the introduction, we find that the main ingredient (according to McGinn) in Christian mysticism is self-transformation, which is fueled by a particular understanding of Man, God, and the relation between the two. We tend to think mysticism is reserved for the few: that it is primarily an Augustine hearing the voice of an angel, or Aquinas seeing Jesus come down from the crucifix, or some extraordinary transformation of consciousness, leading you do see the Heavenly Hosts, like Elijah or John, the granting of a vision, or stuff along those lines. From a psychological point of view, the mystics penetrated into the deepest caverns of the heart, of the human condition, of human nature; and reading them illuminates some of that mystery.

But there is a use of the word in Greek that McGinn wants us to notice: this use means ‘hidden’. This use of the word referred to the hidden meaning of things, of Scripture, of the surface: there is the literal meaning and then there is the hidden one, the mystical one, the one that gives dogged seekers a clue to the meaning of life, of God, Man, how to attain God, how to truly live, what life is all about, what the Christian life was all about. Mediating on this hidden meaning meant receiving meaning: the Spirit would grant the one who yearns and desires in this medium an understanding of divine things that the rational and discursive intellect cannot on its own grasp. The Scripture is the gift, cloaked in a literal form; but meditation on the shell leads the Spirit to introduce us to the core, the hidden realm, the secret kingdom, or what St. Teresa of Avila called ‘the Interior Castle’.

We need to understand something very clearly, though. Traditionally, this wasn’t the vocation of the few. Of course, visions are the prospect of the few; but mystics wouldn’t equate visions with the elemental core of mysticism. Christian mysticism was the calling of all who are Christians, all who are supposed to crave God, who yearn after Him, who desire to know Him. It is a journey to God, a path, an individual path, a path peculiar to the individual, a path we need to travel. Our road-map is the Scripture and our guides are the mystics; they tell us what they saw, what they’ve learned - and the elements in our own mystical journey are all the factors that we encounter in our experience, and how all those millions of factors affect our consciousness, and lead us to the Scriptures again, leading us again to dig and dig and travel, to run the race, to plumb the abyss, to shine more light on the cave of the Self, to climb the ladder higher and higher.

There is no point going on a journey somewhere if we don’t know where we’re going. So, why go on the mystical journey? According to all the mystics, and Scripture, we go on the mystical journey to meet God, to see Him, to be in union with Him, to merge with Him, to be one with Him, to be granted a vision of Him, to be touched by Him, to experience Him: this is the meaning of life, as the meaning of the seed is to sprout out of the ground, and blossom, stretched toward the life-giving sun.

McGinn notes that it is fascinating to study the language of the mystics. God is not part of a scientific theory, and He is not appropriately in what Wittgenstein would have called the scientific language-game. As the mystics have gotten closer and closer to God, their language becomes more and more personal, more interpersonal, and those kinds of metaphors abound, which is probably why they abound in Scripture.

The author also lays particular emphasis on mysticism being less of an experience and more of a renewed state of consciousness. Experience might mislead, because we tend to think of sensations, perceptions, etc. But mysticism is supposed to actually create new categories of understanding in the mind, and these categories actually make an effect on the private consciousness, an effect that puts one in touch with a new reality, a reality that can’t be directly talked about, referred to in language, defined clearly, a reality that can only be hinted at in the arts, poetry, metaphor, literature, music, painting, or film.

Think of the mystical endeavor like any endeavor. To swim across the English Channel, we’ll need to train our muscles and our cardiovascular system, eat right, diet, etc. To make a voyage around the world, we’ll need supplies, maps, knowledge of the sea, knowledge of ships, a crew, a captain, food, etc. The mystical voyage or journey is the same, and this why a lot of mystics convey the vital importance of the Christian disciplines, of silence, fasting, prayer, meditation, ritual, study, Christian virtues, taming the passions. A paradox: in the literature, the mystics seem to be the ones most filled with joy. Thus, a primary ingredient in mysticism is the proper transformation of the Self, and the journey prepares for this like rain prepares for the sprouting of the flower, and of course, the Spirit is the one who brings the rain.

Bernard McGinn has compiled a great amount of writings from a great amount of mystics. His introductions are an educational experience, and the book as a whole is a great place to begin to understand the Christian mystical tradition.