Christian Mysticism:
As a Christian Mystic, I have become accustomed to an “active” form of spirituality. In Christian Mysticism, we seek a direct and immediate experience of God, through experiences which usually takes the form of a vision, or a sense of the “presence”or “union” with God. In order to experience this form of “mystical experience”, there must be complete participation, from the individual trying to connect with God by the means of contemplative prayer and meditation.
The sacraments along with incense and oils are used to enhance the experience. Basically, Christian Mysticism seems to bind the human and the sacred, opening the consciousness to the spiritual dimension of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Christian Mysticism is traditional, and deeply rooted worldwide, with church mystics such as (Teresa of Avila, John of the Crosss, Ignatious Loyola, and Francis of Asisi) just to name a few, claiming that striving for holiness and mystical contemplation will lead them to a phase of illumination , ultimately allowing for a “purified union” with God. The soul of the individual transcends in love and a desire for God until it reaches a mystical communion with Him.
Despite the mystical writings and deeply rooted traditions of prayer and meditation, the Western culture has rejected mystical theology as a whole. Mainstream Christianity, or Protestantism, has generally mistrusted and many times have been openly hostile towards a peaceful, mystical, dimension of the spiritual life.
With Protestant Evangelicals claiming that the only way to God is through a form of “rational theology” of the letter of Scripture. This religion claims that “truth” can only be found in the pages of the Bible. If it is not in the Bible, it is not so! Whether it’s a vision or a prophetic message from God. Some Protestant religions can’t seem to think “outside” the box, and yet, God is much greater than any box or any book that people might want to put Him in.
Today we see these mega churches, which have over a thousand members, providing from child care, elderly day care and counseling services to gyms and beauty parlors. In essence they are a ready made community, which obviously have embraced the market culture using marketing techniques to increase membership. And not surprising, these churches are usually of an “evangelical” nature, and generally provide a very simple set of rules to follow and a simple system of teaching, (Scripture Only). This Bible-based religion is a belief system which is considered to be “dogma”. It is a study of the Bible which reaches specific conclusions that have their own set of instructions on how to get to heaven. The common theology of these kinds of churches is that they and only they, have an exclusive on God. The issue that needs to be examined here is whether or not this belief system is supported by the Bible itself, or is it only supported by their interpretation of the Bible. You see, when a person adopts a religion such as this one, they put as much faith in the religion as they put in the Bible or in God, Himself. At the end of the day, it is in the “religion” that they believe in.
Religion is suppose to open our counsiousness to the spiritual dimension of God. We are suppose to be one with God, and experience the Sacredness of God. Passively listening to a sermon on a Sunday morning will not get you there. However, actively meditating, praying, and participating in your own spiritual transcedent experience will move you from an ordinary human experience towards an extraordinary understanding of God and the universe.
Today, many religious leaders are actively supressing the “truth”. And, what would that be, you might ask? “The Kingdom of God is within you”. (Luke 17:21) The religious power elite had to silence Jesus Christ because he represented an alternative to life as they knew it.
Today, my friends, alternatives to traditional religious thinking will get you ortracized , and even ex-communicated in some circles. Can we say “Suppression”!
Christian Mysticism describes an interest in transcedent experiences that move an ordinary human being toward an extraordinary understanding of God and the universe. This might include a deep conviction that there is a universal consciousness that is hidden from ordinary people, but can be accessed by using extraordinary means.
The Law of Christ is the Law of Love, when Christ specifically identified “the new law” in the Gospel of John, it was stated as “love one another”. So it’s clear that the standard of salvation for every human being is the “Law of Love” not the law of religion.
So it is fair to say that all faith is valid and that “love is all you need”. Where there is love there is compassion, understanding, caring, mercy, and justice. All religions that promote all of the above, I feel, are a part of God’s overall plan for mankind. For it is wrong to invalidate the faith of others, especially if the goal is God!
I pray that this knowledge will one day resonate in the hearts and minds of men from all religions and philosophies so that this world can become a more spiritual and peaceful place to live.
Let me finish this article with a question: If God sent a prophet to America today to save more souls for His Second Coming, would you act like the Pharisees acted with Jesus?
"GOD CREATED MAN TO GLORIFY HIM; MAN CREATED RELIGION FOR CONTROL."
REV. MIRTA SIGNORELLI .
