Mysticism - A quiet movement of the heart

Mysticism is about oneness with God or divinization. Mystics are the great giants of the spiritual life who have a profound desire of unity with God. The mystical soul surrenders to God, transcending our sensate world. They advance into Saint John of the Cross’ darkness where they experience God not by words or idea but in pure love.

Bilocation, visions, ecstasies and levitations are not the heart of the mystical experience. One of the great mystics of the 19th century, Saint Therese of Lisieux, experienced no such extraordinary mystical phenomena. An over concern with these spectacles may receive the same warning that Jesus spoke in John 4:48: "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."

Some writers may describe the Mystical Way of union with God in amazing detail. Don’t get trapped in the details of the different stages and their technical signs of spiritual development. The Mystical Way is above all a mystery, and the path is as different as each individual, uniquely made in God’s image.

Karl Rahner, the most important Catholic theologian of the 20th century, spoke of "everyday mysticism." We all want further knowledge of God, but in everyday life we don’t often reflect on our experiences of God. Then an intense experience of God allows us to experience God more clearly.

Of course, although God calls us all to mystical union, most of us will never achieve it on this side of the grave. Still, the paschal mystery is what Christian spirituality is all about. We die to self and come to new life in Christ, not once but continually. The end of that process is our mystical union with God.