The View Up Here

From a great article on what it means to be a mystic  (all emphasis mine) : What makes a mystic, well, “mystical”? Mystic and related words come from the Greek language — from the same word which gives us mystery and even sacraments. But the Greek root word, mueo, also gives us the English word mute. So a mystic is someone who enters the mystery of God. And a mystic also, and therefore, is someone whose spirituality is muted (in other words, profoundly silent) — which is to say it cannot even be put into words. It’s the silence of a monastery, understood not merely as the absence of sound (or thoughts, or words), but as an opening that allows us to discern the quiet presence of God.  A mystic, in the broadest and m[o]st humble sense of the word, is simply someone whose relationship with God is primarily contemplative. Someone who prays, and who prays silently, opening the heart to the presence of God , which cannot ever be fully put into words.  The author wisely...

This year's theme was 'Hope: A World Afire!' I'm winding down the weekend after an intense two days at the Religious Education Congress (Friday and Saturday). I only went for two of the three days, mainly because I needed my one day to stay home and gear up for the coming week. I day tripped to Anaheim for the event, which was more of a challenge with Friday traffic both going and coming home, but I definitely feel the 'conference high' even with the commuting and not making it for the last day (which was today).  The sessions I chose back in December and got into (I had to choose my top 3 for each period) seemed to interlock with an ever-unfolding message of forgiveness, reconciliation and God's Love. In fact, it would appear that this Lent, the journey I'm taking with Yeshua is one of forgiveness.  Friday I arrived frazzled from rush hour and Disneyland traffic (the Anaheim Convention Center is across the street from California Advent...

In my last post, I wrote about the Light of the world. This morning I found an article on another blog that reflects the ideas I presented in that post. Here's a very appropriate quote from that article, referencing Meister Eckhart, a Christian mystic, theologian and preacher from the thirteenth century. He wrote that ...the story of the virgin birth is the story of Christ being born within us through the union of the Spirit of God with our own flesh. It is about birthing the Spirit within us. Ultimately, the story of Jesus’ birth is not about the past, but it is about discovering the “Light Within” each of us in the present. http://progressivechristianity.org/resources/a-light-in-the-darkness/ I clearly need to read some Meister Eckhart. Put that on the list, when I'm done with my current and immediate queue that includes St. John of the Cross ( A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and Bridegroom of Christ) , Bernard de Clairveaux ( A Lover Teaching the Way of Love: Sel...

In many Eastern religions and philosophies exists the concept of living "in the present" or "in the now." If you say it out loud, you risk sounding like a Hippie or a New Ager or (God forbid) an artist. But I've come to the very clear understanding that this idea of living right in the moment isn't just for gurus and Vegans. While I strived for many years as a Buddhist to attain this moment-by-moment lifestyle, more often than not, I failed miserably at it. However, as a Catholic newly reintegrated back into the Church, I have found this to be an essential part of living fully in the light of God, attaining God's peace, and understanding what is truly important. Of course, it's not something the Catholic or most Christian Churches explicitly teach, per se, although plenty of Christian Mystics experienced and wrote at length about this aspect of prayer and spiritual life. But I believe it is part of what Yeshua the Messiah taught: not worrying about...