St paul and mysticism

[jillisamarie]

do the scriptures suggest that st paul may have reached a very high union with God? Do you think that he was a mystic? what bible verces show this was the case.

 

[blessedstar]

Yes I do believe he was.

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[inthecloud]

All of the early apostles were, but for me John is the most mystical of all.

 

[Coreopisis]

do the scriptures suggest that st paul may have reached a very high union with God? Do you think that he was a mystic? what bible verces show this was the case.

I think all the original apostles were mystics. As for John in particular is there something in particular that you are looking for. I believe that him simply seeing Jesus would be one example. I don’t know the verses exactly but you coudl look them up. I will try to tomorrow if you can’t find them.

 

[blessedstar]

I don’t think this is the case that all the Apostles were mystics because it is perfectly possible to have union with God without being a mystic. Jesus called all the Apostles but He only revealed Himself in certain ways to certain apostles, those I would call the mystics of the ‘gang’. St John, St James and St Peter at Jesus’ Transfiguration and again St John when he received his visions at Pathos from Jesus recorded in the book of Revelations. And again St Peter when the Father interiorly revealed to him that Jesus is the Messiah.

St Paul experienced Jesus mystically though he was given a ‘thorn in the flesh’ to check his pride which leads us to realise that no mystic, no matter how lofty their contemplation, is totally free from sin nor from temptation though God told him ‘My grace is sufficient for thee’ this still required St Pauls participation in embracing God’s grace. See Sacred Scripture here:
nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/2corinthians/2corinthians12.htm…of course save our Blessed Mother, the Mystical Rose and Contemplative above all contemplatives who though tempted was free of all stain of sin even as she was conceived.

No other Apostle records personal mystical events or are noted by another as receiving any such gift, not all those who love Jesus experience Him mystically in this sense though all experience Him mystically in the ‘ordinary’ sense if there is such an expression as in ‘the ordinary sense’ in the reception of Holy Communion which is a union of Jesus, (the Living Ressurected Lord as He appeared to all the Apostles) and the soul.

All of them witnessed Him and this is the greater part, to be a living witness to Christ Jesus in our daily life, it is not necessary to be a mystic or God would have every soul be a mystic, but as St Paul rightly says, we each (part of the Body of Christ) are given gifts for the building up of the Kingdom and its no good wanting to be an arm when we are a toe and its no good wanting to be an ear when we are an eye. Each part is vital and God is ‘no respecter of persons’ He loves them all, so we are to strive as the ‘part’ we are.

We are who we are and we have the gifts God has given us and this is sufficient as God has said ‘My grace is sufficient’.

In the Living Prayer of my life

 

[Joysong]

We simply do not know whether or not all of the apostles were mystics. Neither the Church nor the scriptures tell us much about the other apostles’ spirituality beyond that which we know concerning Peter, James, John and Paul. What we do know is that they were given extraordinary charisms to cure the sick and cast out demons.

 

[St_Gabriel]

I think all the original apostles were mystics.

I agree with this, since all of the apostles saw the risen Christ.

Paul was unique because he was chosen an apostle after Jesus died and rose and his mission was to go spread to the good news to the Gentiles.