“The Mystery of Godliness is Great.”  St. Paul

“Something breaks suddenly into our lives and upsets the normal pattern and we have to begin to adjust ourselves to a new kind of existence.”  Bede Griffiths

As a junior in college, I was given an assignment, as part of a sociology class in gerontology, to regularly visit an elderly woman who no longer ventured out of her house. Later I would learn that clergy and the church have a label for them:  “Shut-Ins.”  (It is, in my opinion, derogatory and unloving).  My discomfort when visiting her was palpable; High anxiety caused me to break out in a sweat and have no clue as to what to say or do.  In spite of that, she was extremely gracious and welcomed me into her home.  I don’t remember her name or anything we talked about, but I do remember a phrase she repeated often:  “The Lord’s ways are mysterious, His wonders to behold.”   At the time I probably thought she was just a crazy old coot.  I didn’t value her wisdom at the time, but I do now.  And I also have come to realize that she was the first mystic I’d ever met.

What is a mystic?  And what does it have to do with you?

We hear that word mystic and think of weird holy men and women who did strange things, like sitting on elevated poles or escaping into the desert to live with the wild jackals and beasts.  John The Baptist and Ezekiel come to mind. But those are extreme examples.  Mystics are far more common, and though scripture, history, and contemporary life are filled with many examples, most go unnoticed.  So, what is a mystic?

A mystic is someone who has an intuitive sense of the Presence of God.  I would say that there are three primary characteristics of a mystic.

First, a mystic is keenly aware of God.  A mystic recognizes the transcendence of God, but also the immanence.  A mystic listens to the heartbeat of God, like St. John did, hearing it everywhere and in everyone, all around, all the time.  Noah heard the voice of God, as did the other prophets.  A mystic sees God through eyes of Faith.  You might say that a mystic beholds the face of God, albeit imperfectly.  The prophets of old had visions and dreamed dreams, both of which were ways that they saw God.  Isaiah had a vision, as did John which resulted in the writing of Revelation.  Hearing and seeing results in the mystic contemplating God.  Contemplation is at the very least the ability to experience God in a deeply meaningful way.This contemplative experience of God causes the mystic to have a deep sense of Awe.  That is the second characteristic. 

Living an awe-full life is so much more preferable than pursuing happiness.  Happiness is fleeting and depends on circumstances.  Living in Awe is something we are capable at all times, regardless of whether we are happy or sad.  Living in Awe means seeing the miracle of life and creation. The story is told of a little girl and her daddy, standing on a beach hand in hand watching the sunset.  As the sun dips below the horizon and disappears the little girl looks up at her daddy and says, “Do it again.”  That is living in Awe.

And finally, the mystic is immersed in God.  A fish in the ocean doesn’t seek to find water, it is surrounded by it.  So too the mystic.  All of life and creation are filled with the Presence of God.  This awareness allows the mystic to flow with God through life.

So what does all of this have to do with you?  Simply this, living as a mystic is not a special or unusual calling.  You don’t have to do something weird or unusual.  Everyone has the capacity and capability to be a mystic, simply by being more intentionally aware of the abiding Presence of the Divine.  I would invite you to enter into this way of living.