The certainty of the faith of the church must be built on mystical experience
From the nature of mysticism, it follows that we must distinguish between two aspects: the divine and the human, of which one or the other comes to the forefront more prominently. In a narrower sense, they can also be referred to as the theological and psychological factor. Although the divine element is fundamental in mysticism, we must not underestimate what a person can contribute from their side, and it is often extremely difficult to distinguish between the divine and human elements.
However, this is not a reason to deny the divine character of mysticism or to question it. The difficulties that arise, for example, in establishing a boundary between what is alive and what is inanimate, between matter and spirit, do not justify us in denying life or spirit.
Although God gives His gifts to whom He wants, and we cannot deny mystical endowments outside the Catholic Church, the foundation of the Catholic Church indicates that, as a rule, the church is the place where God grants us His overflowing mystical grace. In the Catholic Church, we also see how magnificently the mystical life flourishes. Similar phenomena as in (Catholic) mysticism can be found in other religions, for example in various Indian religions, in ancient Greek cults, and in other Christian churches. Parapsychology shows us what strange feelings and experiences a person can have when they follow either their own ideas or the ideas of others on paths of suggestion, telepathy, clairvoyance, etc. Under the influence of suggestion, stigmas can even appear, or some people live almost without food intake. From an external perspective, it is therefore very difficult to confirm or refute the mystical character of such phenomena with certainty.
John of the Cross, the "mystical teacher," points out for this reason that the certainty of the faith of the church must be built on mystical experience. Saint Teresa of Avila does state that the presence of God and His action are sometimes so clearly discernible for the (authentic) mystic that they cannot doubt it, and that God often takes possession of the soul's strength so forcefully that it cannot resist. But even Teresa does not deny that the danger of self-deception persists. According to her, a mystically endowed person must submit all inspirations and visions to the judgment of an experienced spiritual leader, with obedience to his assessment and guidance being the most important and first commandment.
The Church usually attributes a private character to the mystical life and the related phenomena. Only in very clear cases, which are particularly confirmed by a saintly life, does it acknowledge the general validity of mystical phenomena. As for many cases of stigmas, the Church has allowed liturgical celebration only for the stigmatization of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, and the piercing of St. Teresa's heart. However, this does not exclude great respect for the mystical life, which the Church understands as the highest blossoming of the life of grace.
Certainly, it would not be right to consider human effort and action leading to mystical experience as senseless or even pathological, even though it does not involve mystical endowment (in the strictest sense) and these experiences only have a natural character. Concentrating the spirit on the highest and noblest object of meditation, which is so profound that it leads to ecstatic experiences, is fundamentally more noble than the strongest poetic fervor or the ecstasy of a creative artist. At the same time, we cannot deny that here, similar to some poet or painter, exaggerated or even pathological sensations may appear; yet even then, the light is often stronger than the shadow. Therefore, it is necessary to respect mystical phenomena of other religions, as they often testify to the noble ascent of the human spirit to God.
In mysticism, it is necessary to distinguish between doctrine and life. A person can describe the mystical life without having a share in the mystical experience of God. However, since there are many mystically endowed individuals who have recorded their experiences either from an inner impulse or by the delegation of a spiritual leader, treatises on this topic must be based on their testimonies and rely on their experiences. Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, and especially Blessed Jan van Ruisbroek in the Netherlands were themselves mystics and also authors of authoritative writings on the mystical life. Of course, there is also a mystical life that is not documented in literature, and likewise, mysticism can persist in literature even when it is no longer being experienced.
Excerpted from the book: Engagierte Mystik
Author: Titus Brandsma
Published by: Bonifatius-Verlag Paderborn, 1991
Translated and edited by: Norbert Žuška, OCarm.
