Who are your mystics?

[Vermax]

In another thread here someone said the Orthodox faith tradition was "frustratingly mystic". Is it just the Church or some people within it? Have you ever had any priests with the stigmata like Padre Pio? Did you ever have a Sister Faustina? A St. Therese of Lisieux?

 

[Knee V]

How are you defining "mystic"?

 

[Damaris]

Well, compared to Western Christianity, we may seem to answer a frustrating number of questions with "It's a mystery".

No Orthodox saints have wound up with stigmata.

It would be a fool's exercise to try to directly compare post-schism saints like that, but we have saints like St. Gregory Palamas, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Matryona of Moscow, and St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco, and it might be wise to read up on them.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Elder Porphyrios, St John of Kronstadt, Elder Cleopa of Romania, Elder Paisos of Mt Athos, Elder Joseph the Hesychast are some others who come to mind

 

[Vermax]

How are you defining "mystic"?

Someone very religious who has received oral revelations from Christ. Or, in the case of Padre Pio the wounds of Our Lord.

 

[ProScribe]

. . .

 

[ProScribe]

How are you defining "mystic"?

Mysticism is associated with "wonder" "awe" or "experience" . . .

 

[Knee V]

Someone very religious who has received oral revelations from Christ. Or, in the case of Padre Pio the wounds of Our Lord.

I see.

We would define that a little differently. All of the Orthodox saints are "mystical". A "mystic" (although we don't really tend to use that word) is someone who, by prayer and asceticism, has come to truly experience God and knows Him from that experience. That is the goal (or at least should be the goal) of every Orthodox christian - to be a saint and know God.

 

[Monica child of God 1]

Every Orthodox Christian participates in the mystical life through the Holy Mysteries. We call the sacraments Mysteries. We have become partakers of the divine nature (2 peter1). That's the mystical life.

We believe as St. Athanasius said God became man so that man could become god. I don't understand Christianity without Mystery.

M.

 

[Joseph Hazen]

In another thread here someone said the Orthodox faith tradition was "frustratingly mystic".

Yeah that was me lol. :o This is pretty much what I meant:

Well, compared to Western Christianity, we may seem to answer a frustrating number of questions with "It's a mystery".

I've had to humble myself a lot and realize that I do not know the answer to everything. Human reason has been knocked off its pedestal and it forces me to trust in God more.

 

[θεόδωρος]

They may have already been mentioned but for me, 2 stand out: Elder Joseph the Hesychast and Elder Paisos of Mount Athos.

 

[Dorothea]

Every Orthodox Christian participates in the mystical life through the Holy Mysteries. We call the sacraments Mysteries. We have become partakers of the divine nature (2 peter1). That's the mystical life.

We believe as St. Athanasius said God became man so that man could become god. I don't understand Christianity without Mystery.

M.

The bolded is an excellent thought!! Quite profound to me.

 

[Vermax]

Well, compared to Western Christianity, we may seem to answer a frustrating number of questions with "It's a mystery".

No Orthodox saints have wound up with stigmata.

It would be a fool's exercise to try to directly compare post-schism saints..

I really wasn't trying to "directly compare" either faith's saints, but because we pretty much have the same basic belief's I was genuinely interested if you had the same type of phenomena in the Orthodox Church.

 

[Damaris]

I really wasn't trying to "directly compare" either faith's saints, but because we pretty much have the same basic belief's I was genuinely interested if you had the same type of phenomena in the Orthodox Church.

Okay. Well, I mentioned that Orthodox saints do not have stigmata. There are also not really cases where saints have taken direct messages or Faustina-style conversations. A great book for you to read would be one called Way of a Pilgrim, which will tell you a lot about Orthodox mystics. It's not very long and it seems to be fairly widely available.

 

[Vermax]

Okay. Well, I mentioned that Orthodox saints do not have stigmata. There are also not really cases where saints have taken direct messages or Faustina-style conversations. A great book for you to read would be one called Way of a Pilgrim, which will tell you a lot about Orthodox mystics. It's not very long and it seems to be fairly widely available.

Well thanks, I'll get the book. I am always interested in learning more about the Orthodox faith. I have been to your worhip services before and admired very much the great reverence shown to Our Lord. I always say that if I wasn't of the Roman Rite I would be Orthodox.

Well, I sure appreciate all the replies I'e gotten thus far and I definitely will read more about the various saints mentioned here. The mystics of my faith tradition have always gotten my attention and reading about their experiences has always strengthened my faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm sure that reading about yours will do the same.

 

[Gwendolyn]

I think it also bears mentioning that "signs" like the ones that are popular in Catholicism - the stigmata, for example - are not seen as good things in Orthodoxy. If the Eucharist were to turn into true flesh and blood, it would be a sign that someone harboured disbelief. Signs such as this are warnings, not miracles that "prove" the faith.

Also, "private revelations" (as Catholics understand it) aren't a big deal in Orthodoxy. If someone experiences a vision, he ought to discuss it with his spiritual father, and it would end there. The "revelation" would likely be viewed as pertaining only to the person who experienced it, not for promotion, praise, and popularity among the general population.

Just my observations from my studies.

 

[The Virginian]

As one who had thought they were "into" mysticism: It appears to my mind that the prevailing thought concerning Christian mystics; is that they regularly, or at one time, have conversed with, or received from God, some form of communication/revelation not contained in Scripture. Therefore: there's probably not one Orthodox saint who is not a mystic. I say this having read of Ss.John Maxiomovich of San Francisco, Xenia of St.Petersburg, Silouan of Mt.Athos, Raphael of Brooklyn, and the accounts of Fr.Arseny.
Orthodoxy does not glorify mystics or mysticism; then again, neither does she discount the reality of them either.
Other worldly is what Christians are to be by the very nature of the name; for, "...The preaching of the Cross is foolishness to them that are perishing. But to us, it is the wisdom of God." "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." "But he who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. I and the Father will come to him and make our abode with him, and disclose ourselves to him." Not once in all of His teachings about the marks of a true disciple did Jesus mention anything about physical signs of authenticity. But He did say "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love to one another." Christianity is all about grace and mercy, not a freak show!


the sinful and unworthy servant

 

[ma2000]

Elder Porphyrios, St John of Kronstadt, Elder Cleopa of Romania, Elder Paisos of Mt Athos, Elder Joseph the Hesychast are some others who come to mind

I'm surprised you forget to mention Elder Paisie of Sihla, who's picture you have on your avatar

 

[ArmyMatt]

I'm surprised you forget to mention Elder Paisie of Sihla, who's picture you have on your avatar

haha, good call, I did mention his spiritual son, didn't I? musta not been thinking.

 

[Vermax]

As one who had thought they were "into" mysticism: It appears to my mind that the prevailing thought concerning Christian mystics; is that they regularly, or at one time, have conversed with, or received from God, some form of communication/revelation not contained in Scripture. Therefore: there's probably not one Orthodox saint who is not a mystic. I say this having read of Ss.John Maxiomovich of San Francisco, Xenia of St.Petersburg, Silouan of Mt.Athos, Raphael of Brooklyn, and the accounts of Fr.Arseny.
Orthodoxy does not glorify mystics or mysticism; then again, neither does she discount the reality of them either.
Other worldly is what Christians are to be by the very nature of the name; for, "...The preaching of the Cross is foolishness to them that are perishing. But to us, it is the wisdom of God." "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." "But he who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. I and the Father will come to him and make our abode with him, and disclose ourselves to him." Not once in all of His teachings about the marks of a true disciple did Jesus mention anything about physical signs of authenticity. But He did say "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love to one another." Christianity is all about grace and mercy, not a freak show!


the sinful and unworthy servant

Please correct me if I am wrong in the assesment of your words. While you acknowledge the mystics in your own church, your last sentence then alludes that private revelation is some sort of "freak show"? Could you clarify that statement? It confuses me.