Converging and Convincing Proof of God: Mystical Encounters with the Absolute

By Andrew M. Greenwell, Esq.
11/18/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Mysticism should not be confused with emotionalism or what Msgr. Knox famously called enthusiasm in the book with that name

Here, then, is the proof of St. John's experience in the words of Aidan Nichols: "Let us take the most repellent human situations and see what comes of them if we approach them as the hidden presence and invitation of the love of God." The "pure" experiences such as these, epitomized in Catholic mystics such as St. John of the Cross, suggest that God is real.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - Our series on the converging and convincing proofs of God have, in the main, started from our experience of God's creation--whether it be our desire, our sense of truth, the contingency of being--and extrapolated "upwards," as it were, to come to the conclusion that a transcendent God exists. Our observation of creation gave birth to the thought of a transcendent God's existence as a most reasonable explanation for created phenomena. This sort of reasoning takes us to faith's threshold.

In one instance, in St. Anselm's famous if controversial ontological argument, we went a slightly different way. The thought of God as that than which nothing greater can be conceived gave birth to the thought of transcendent God's existence and hence suggested its reality outside the mind.

In this particular article, we are not going to go from the things that are made or from thoughts of the mind; rather, we are going to start from what some have called the pati divina, the suffering of things divine, or, in a word, mysticism. It is a sort of gray area between pure thought and experience of the created world.

Mysticism should not be confused with emotionalism or what Msgr. Knox famously called enthusiasm in the book with that name. Nor should mysticism by confused with religious experience in general. It is something different than emotionalism or enthusiasm or religious experience. It is also something other than mystical phenomena: visions, locutions, levitation, bilocation, or even miracles.

The mysticism we have in mind is the apex of religious experience, to the point where it is almost a religious experience of another kind altogether: it is experienced as a form of an encounter, even a union, with God. Many of us are unfamiliar with this intense form of religious experience, though we perhaps achieve a slight feel of it in ordinary religious experiences, as, for example, we experience pathos at the sight of a crucifix or emotion at the recital of a prayer. But what we're talking about is of another order entirely.

We might take as a working definition of mysticism Fr. Frederick Copleston's definition in his famous debate with the agnostic Bertrand Russell. Mysticism is "a loving, but unclear, awareness of some object which irresistibly seems to the experiencer as something transcending the self, something transcending all the normal objects of experience, something which cannot be pictured or conceptualized, but of the reality of which doubt is impossible--at least during the experience."

Our guide in this dichosa ventura, this blessed venture, of mysticism will be St. John of the Cross, the Doctor Mysticus or Mystical Doctor of the Church. The mystical experiences he had, and of which he wrote in his various poems and commentary on them, is the kind of mystical experience that Copleston defined as "pure," since the experience resulted in a tremendously dynamic and constructive response of love and human perfection which indicates its veridicity. St. John of the Cross's character is, moreover, one of unimpeachable purity and integrity, and he exhibited complete normalcy and sanity, despite intense suffering externally and internally, as a result of these encounters.

Now, there are extreme limitations in relying on religious experience, including the mystical experience, to prove that God exists, and these limitations seriously constrain the value of this proof. But these limits do not entirely nullify the proof. Perhaps the limitations make it, in the words of Fr. Copleston, not a "strict proof of the existence of God." Instead, in light of these limits, the best we can do is to propose God's existence as the "best explanation" of the mystical phenomena in the "pure" sense. It is a soft proof because of its limitations.

We might list some of the limitations.

First of all, not every religious or even mystical experience is sound, much less orthodox. Obviously, the religious experience of men and women do not all point the same way or to the same truth. There is, for example, the great divide between East and West, where mystic phenomena is one between non-Being and Being. We also need to sort out the religious crank, the possessed, the deluded, or those who suffer from hallucinations or psychological abnormalities.

Another problem is that mysticism is ...

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1 - 4 of 4 Comments

Andrew M. Greenwell
6 months ago
@Eric: Thanks for your comments, and your kind words. While I agree that the Kingdom of God is within us, that is only one dimension of the Kingdom of God as it appears to have been taught by Jesus. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us of the "three dimensions" of the term "Kingdom of God." The first, seized and developed by Origen, is that Jesus himself is the Kingdom of God. That is one reason why Catholic mystics such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross insist on the humanity of Christ as the key to all authentic mysticism. As Benedict XVI taught in one of his audiences, St. Teresa "has a very clear idea of the 'fullness' of Christ, relived by the Christian. At the end of the route through The Interior Castle, in the last 'room,'Teresa describes this fullness, achieved in the indwelling of the Trinity, in union with Christ through the mystery of his humanity." The second dimension, also developed by Origen and emphasized by you, is that the Kingdom of God is within us. The third dimension is ecclesiastical; here, "the kingdom of God and the Church are related in different ways and brought into more or less close proximity," so that we may say that the Kingdom of God is found in the Church, in her teachings, in her sacraments, and in her liturgical prayer, in particular the Eucharistic Sacrifice. If the kingdom of God is only seen as being within us exclusively (without the other dimensions), we make an end-around Christ and his Body, the Church. This would make Christ and the Church inessential in the spiritual life, which would involve, it seems to me, a rejection of the very Trinitarian God with whom contemplative and mystical prayer seeks union. All three dimensions of the Kingdom of God must be recalled. If we don't recall all three dimensions, we run the risk of finding ourselves, as you so well put it, "in a place where they may not be talking to God at all," and we may fall into a sort of self-divinization, a gnosticism, or pantheism, or even fall prey to a spiritual presence opposed to God. While I am not opposed to other cultures and other religions--we should be open to and recognize all that is good with them--I would insist in the absolute centrality and unique revelation of God in Jesus, the Word made Flesh. If we do encounter God through mysticism, would not this be the same God that became man, the Christ who is all and is in all (Colossians 3:11). Christ was something more than a "favorite teacher," a rabbi or guru. He, after all, is "the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).
Peace, and may God be with you.
Andrew
J. Bob
6 months ago
Wonderful article. I truly enjoy St. John's books, & how his sketch inspired Sali Dali's "Crucifixion" painting.

There is another book that I have enjoyed for the past 50+ years, "Mysticism" by Evelyn Underhill. It gives a list of many Christian, and other Mystics that have opened up a new world. Three favorites are St. Theresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich & Thomas Mertnn (Inner Experience).

One of the interesting things about the Contemplative Silence, is that it reflects a oriental philosophy in the martial arts. That is called, in Japanese, "mizu no kokoro", or mind like water. In short, it means one must have a calm mind, to reflect reality.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem
6 months ago
'converging and Convincing proof of God' as the fruit of 'mystical encounter' by Andrew Greenwell is based on " natural law" gradually gaining momentum into " supernatural union and encounter", the experience of a real mystic. As a little child, before anyone began to teach me catechism or God as creator, my mind asked a thousand questions on the universe like who created the sky? why the crow is black while the crane is white and the Rose is red while the Jasmine is white and so on which gradually slipping into the " role of ultimate Reality" ie. God. The " image of God within" is an untaught " spiritual power". This " heart of flesh" is so receptive, the wave length of God, the connecting plug that helps one to burn his light within. This created " image" in so far as in " communion with its source"(God), Revelation takes place in the form of " insight" and " creative ideas", simply in the religious language is termed, " mysticism". As a matter of fact, mysticism need not be any " abnormal or so called supernatural phenomena". It could be experienced in the ordinary events and course of life, but with a sublime intensity. As insight is gained through experience of union with the ultimate, rationality and wisdom begins to shine forth. If the " image of God" is marred by sin and " hard hardheartedness", it cannot establish its connection with God, affecting revelations. The closer you are in touch with yourselves, the better will be your closeness with God. " in you is the source of life and in your light, we see light". Jesus said, " the Holy Spirit dwells within you". That which makes " the image of God" in connectivity is the " child like innocence" and hence Jesus said," unless you become like a child..." and " happy are the pure in heart, they shall see God". Jesus further prayer," Thank you Lord of heaven and earth for hiding it from the wise and revealing to the little children". As a mater of fact, " the mystery and history of mysticism" is a " free gift of God" endowed with " creation" and hence is based on " natural law" upon which the Religious upbringing fosters to grow in faith. As " insight" and " new ideas" are based on "Reason" grounded upon mystical relation, the fruit of faith, " the faith of the Catholic Church is not blind, rather is capable of challenging the atheists". And no wonder, Pope Benedict XVI, the most rational man of our century, put up a " cell for dialogue with the Atheists" in Paris last year. For, Jesus our master was the most rational man ever lived. He said, " here stands someone greater than Solomon" and his rationalism was such he challenged the social customs and beliefs of his time to the extent, " no one dared to ask him questions any more". His " self- awareness of his relationship with the Father" was such that St. John, another mystic could speak of Jesus, " I and the Father are one". As a matter of fact, salvation consists in being one, experience of integrity, "Communion" another name for Eucharist, the true relationship of God becoming man, heaven blending into the earth, the very word, Religion, " relegare" - " relate". Hence, " mysticism is the deep communion, relationship of man with God and with one another", the summary of compendium, love of God and love of neighbor. " That all may be one", the motto adopted by Pope Benedict is the only way the world can progress on the way to progress both spiritually and materially.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem.
Eric Nielsen
6 months ago
Hi Andrew,

I truly loved your article. However I just wanted to add a few things.
Jesus stated that the KIngdom of God is within each of us. This is true, because I've had such an experience. When you write about the terrible time the Saints had before seeing God, that simply is the truth describing the importance of the amount of concentration that will be needed, for those in modern times, wanting to succeed as well. Desperate meassures are needed during desperate times.

Many times those who have taken up meditation and centering prayer don't seem to understand that intense concentration and focus is needed to reach what Jesus had promised those that searched for God.

The stories from the Saints don't need to be analyzed as to whether they are real or not. The main benefit from sharing these experiences is that they should simply give hope to the generations that follow, that Jesus was correct--the Kingdom of God is within all of us and if we make an honest effort, as did the Saints, we too can discover these facts.

Mysticism, in our modern times, has been distorted by all those people that are out to make a buck on something that has the interest of the general public. As a result, there are those that are using centering prayer and meditation to discover the truth for themselves.
Unfortunately, where those practitioners are finding themselves, is in a place where they may not be talking to God at all. But instead, they might be conversating with themselves.

A true mystical experience, doesn't take place somewhere between sitting in prayer or meditation and feeling the calmness of relaxation. No, it is when you literally separate yourself from this physical world and stand in the Kingdom of God staring at the infinite from the vantage point of your soul. And yes, the world is left completely behind, as is all your previous concepts of what you thought God would be like when you finally got to see Him.

And like Jesus, you do get the same message that I and the Father are one, or as described by other religons--Thou Art That and I Am That. And yes, because there is only one God, these experiences are of a human concern, more so than a religious matter. So, this would indicate that maybe if a person wanting to know more about these mystical experiences, might come to the conclusion that there are a whole lot more stories about humans stumbling upon God than those of the Christian Saints.

The fact that every person having this same experience, knows that there is only one God and they have experienced Him, takes away the the separation of religions and makes the experience of God the same for all, even though the various cultures around the world and throughout time, have had different ways of explaining these experiences of meeting up with God.

Let us not forget that in school there was always a favorite teacher; one who could get the lesson across to us with ease. Well, the same is true, if we can bring ourselves to venture away from our various religions, to hear the stories told by those from a different culture and religion.

Thanks for the opportunity to share,
Eric Robert Nielsen
The Mystic Post at http://www.EricRobertNielsen.com
Author of "Beyond God's Veil: A True Story of Piercing the Cloud of Unknowing."

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