It would be a complete mistake to see pleasure as the primary aspect of mysticism
Mysticism naturally has many aspects. In the first place, it is the unification between God and man, where the most important roles are played by the higher faculties of man, reason, and will. However, even here, it is necessary to differentiate.
First, there is rather an intellectual direction, whose highest goal is the contemplation of divine mysteries, and a foretaste of heaven, as well as heavenly bliss, is seen in the so-called visio beatifica, in the blessed vision of God. Describing this vision of God is extremely difficult because, during it, all images recede into the background. Therefore, in this case, one also speaks of entering into "divine darkness." Next to this intellectual school stands rather a voluntarist approach, also called the school of love. The masters and teachers of this school are primarily Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Bonaventure. In the Netherlands, important representatives of this school include Hadewijch (1) and Beatrice of Nazareth (2).
While the Dominicans generally lean more towards the intellectual direction, the Franciscans, with their seraphic father, and the Cistercians, with their leading figure Bernard of Clairvaux, are supporters of the voluntarist direction. Also, Teresa of Avila is often associated with this second school, and it is certainly true that Teresa emphasizes love greatly; however, rather as a means, not as an end. Together with Ruusbroek and John of the Cross, Teresa and the mystical school of Carmel stand somewhat in the middle and create a distinctive harmony between the two directions. Thus, all three are generally regarded as teachers of mystical life, even though the first two lean slightly more towards the intellectual, while Teresa towards the voluntarist direction.
As for the stance of mysticism towards asceticism, it is important to focus on the significance of mysticism for life, i.e., its relationship to the practice of virtues. Here, too, there are significant differences between various directions, and it is important to avoid oversimplification. Essential and generally emphasized are virtues such as obedience, humility, love for God and neighbor, purity, detachment from earthly values, and unification with God's will. These virtues must also be present in the most detached forms of contemplative life. The Church strictly condemns the deformation of contemplative life in the so-called quietism, where unhealthy humility despises everything that man does on his part; he passively surrenders to God's hands and expects only grace.
After Eckhart's (3) mysticism, which was strongly oriented towards the intellect, another direction appeared with Ruusbroek, and even more so under the influence of Geert Groote (4): Devotio moderna (5), in which there was an emphasis—possibly overemphasized—on the practice of virtues. The mystical gift as a divine grace was still considered very valuable, but primarily the necessity of becoming "worthy" to receive this gift began to be emphasized, not placing any obstacle in the way, and doing all that God might ask, without deriving a right to mystical gifts from it.
As a consequence, little was said about mysticism, and one concentrated only on asceticism. "The holiness of acts," such was the ideal. This slowly led to a piety based on external expressions, which then prompted a reaction leading to an effort for "interiorization" in Protestantism. Nevertheless, Devotio moderna can rightly be called a mystical school, as it understood mysticism and asceticism as a unity, with mysticism seen as a divine element and asceticism as a human one. Particularly in the early stages of this movement, many of its proponents were mystically gifted, and their acts stemmed from a deep rooting in God. For this reason, the work "The Imitation of Christ" (6), despite its strong ascetic emphasis, is a mystical work.
With the advent of the Reformation, the era of "the holiness of acts" came to an end. Along with the Carthusians in Cologne and the school in Oisterwijk with Nicholas von Esch, it was St. Peter Canisius (7), who greatly contributed to the re-establishment of a harmonious form of the inner relationship with God and the external life of virtue practice. At the same time, a third aspect of mystical life emerges, the striving for likeness to God.
If previously likeness to God was primarily understood spiritually, in the 13th century, when popular piety flourished in various forms, the emphasis began to shift—also under the influence of the Renaissance—towards the likeness to the incarnate God. Earlier efforts focused primarily on liberating the spirit from dependence on the body; now the center of attention was God, who comes to man in Jesus Christ and invites him to become like Him. This idea thrived particularly in the environment of Devotio moderna, and the work "The Imitation of Christ" best characterizes this movement. However, this manner of following sometimes slipped into a too materially understood likeness to Christ and His life. Still, there was much good in this form of piety, and it brought great blessings.
Under the influence of the aforementioned emphases, phenomena such as wounds (stigmata) emerged, of which there is no mention before St. Francis. Various devotions and customs aimed at honoring Christ's humanity arose, such as erecting nativity scenes, stations of the cross, honoring Jesus's wounds, his face, etc. When these devotions degraded and lost their appeal, a new form of spiritual and mystical life came with the Reformation and subsequently the Counter-Reformation: life in Christ.
The leader of this new direction, Cardinal de Bérulle, was evidently influenced by the Carmelites who came to France (Anna of Jesus first established a monastery in Paris, then in Brussels), and by the text "Evangelical Pearl," which originated in the environment of the school in Oisterwijk. The understanding of following Christ was largely transferred to the level of the inner self: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20). And it is clear that just as Christ's life on earth bore the seal of suffering and sacrifice, so the mystical unification with Christ, which strives primarily for likeness to God, must assign an important place to suffering on the path of following and unification with Christ.
It would be a complete mistake to see pleasure as the primary aspect of mysticism; pleasure is largely associated with the suffering that is borne out of love for God and neighbor, willingly and in connection with God. It is not only about mental suffering but often also about great bodily suffering, which simultaneously serves for purification and detachment from all earthly pleasures.
In a certain way, one can understand the mystical life as a continuous purification and refinement: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8). This purification and refinement is not only active, i.e., that which we must strive for, but also passive, to the extent that God permits suffering in our life and thus visits and purifies His chosen ones.
(1) A mystic living in Brabant in the 13th century, who influenced John of Ruusbroek.
(2) A Flemish Cistercian and mystic also living in the 13th century.
(3) A German Dominican, theologian, philosopher, mystical writer living from 1260–1327.
(4) A Dutch preacher, mystic, and reformer of the 14th century, founder of the Brethren of the Common Life and inspirer of the Devotio moderna movement.
(5) A spiritual movement of the late Middle Ages focused on following Jesus Christ as a model of Christian life.
(6) The author is Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471), an Augustinian monk and mystic.
(7) A significant German Jesuit theologian and preacher of the 15th century, author of the first Catholic catechisms.
Excerpt from the book: Engagierte Mystik
Author: Titus Brandsma
Published by: Bonifatius-Verlag Paderborn, 1991
Translated and adapted by: Norbert Žuška, O.Carm.
