Bede Griffith and the divine feminine

[cjforJesus]

You are welcome. I think even St Bonaventure thought of the “Cosmic Christ” more as a mystery to be pondered. But also more a ruler of the cosmos than the cosmos itself even though “In God we move and live and have our being.” Acts 17:28

And yet God is omnipresent.

Ya, that’s Gnosticism. I think we can only nurture our receptivity and there are a lot of ways to do that. I, for one, am glad the mystical workings are beyond my control. I do think we can practice inner quiet, silencing that inner monologue to just listen and be attentive.

I don’t think there are any ways to nurture receptivity in regards to mystical union.It is all up to God. I still think there is a great difference between ecstatic union and the prayer of contemplation.Union is usually the final stage in a long spiritual road.Purgation,which can be decades long.illumination which is a GREAT strengthening of faith and finally union with the Beloved.

Michael,the mystical workings are certainly beyond your control and it is important that you recognize it.Just keep leading a good life of humility and obedience and don’t look for any spiritual consolations.God will provide them when and if you need them.

I think you should read the vatican document from the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue.It is called "Jesus Christ,the Bearer of the Water of Life. It goes into great detail about the new age concept of cosmic christ and also the difference between Christian mysticism and other kinds.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

I don’t think there are any ways to nurture receptivity in regards to mystical union.It is all up to God. I still think there is a great difference between ecstatic union and the prayer of contemplation.Union is usually the final stage in a long spiritual road.Purgation,which can be decades long.illumination which is a GREAT strengthening of faith and finally union with the Beloved.

Michael,the mystical workings are certainly beyond your control and it is important that you recognize it.Just keep leading a good life of humility and obedience and don’t look for any spiritual consolations.God will provide them when and if you need them.

I think you should read the vatican document from the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue.It is called "Jesus Christ,the Bearer of the Water of Life. It goes into great detail about the new age concept of cosmic christ and also the difference between Christian mysticism and other kinds.

Yes, I have read it and studied it. I quoted it several times on yoga threads, especially the section on questions for discernmet. It is by far more important to focus on a humble virtuous life… But some of us, maybe more so for us introverts, the inner silence is a need in itself with no concern for consolations or anything special or unusual, certainly nothing ecstatic or paranormal.

When I speak of union it is not in the technical sense of a final state. I am meaning more a sense of the indwelling presence. I am sorry I was not clear. Maybe it is best to stick with the technical terms of classic Christian spirituality. I am talking more about Aquired Contemplation.

I may be wrong but I am thinking this is what Merton had in mind if he referred to Catholics as rediculous. Sometimes we get so involved in our vocal prayer and intellectual meditations that we leave no room for the more restful contemplation and might even fear it. That was his critique of his experience of monastic life… too busy doing things and prayers as things leaving little room for contemplation. But I am quite interested to find out with the book you put me on to. Thanks for that.

I am thinking also that the purgation process is so long that many of us give up on it or lose interest in it. There are times when we are inspired but when we hit the dry phases we don’t like them and pray for them to be over. And yet they are the most purifying moments in our live.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

That CDF radar:

I think Fr Bede was under the radar. He was not a theologian. He was more a spiritual writer in a time when inculturation was trying new things. They gave him room.

Merton was too big, too popular and he had revitalized the Church, revitalized monasticism and religious life. He reawakened the contemplative within the active life. It would have been a PR disaster to question and silence him. And I think at the highest Church levels there was recognition and appreciation for his voice.

Fr Rohr, I am frankly surprised he is still Catholic and that he has not been questioned at least. But I do love to read him. I am currently reading* Dancing While Standing Still*. It is a wonderful book.

I feel badly for Fr Anthony deMello. hw was not alive to defend himself.

From wiki
In 1998, 11 years after de Mello’s death, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the leadership of its Cardinal-Prefect, Joseph Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI), conducted a review of de Mello’s work and released a lengthy comment expressing their theological concerns. While the group showed appreciation for many of de Mello’s writings, some positions were found to be “incompatible with the Catholic faith”. However the Indian magazine Outlook claimed it was an attempt by Rome to undermine the clergy in Asia and indicative of widening fissures between Rome and the Eastern Church.