the mystical eye

In the sense of theology that liberates, the soul that is united with God sees the world with God’s eyes. That soul, like God, sees what otherwise is rendered invisible and irrelevant. It hears the whimpering of starving children and does not let itself be diverted from real misery, becoming one with God in perceiving and understanding as well as in acting. For people in the slums, redemption does not consist of some great and far removed actor ending the misery of the oppressed. Rather, in coming so very close, that far-near one acts in and through those who have become one with that actor. In liberating movements, the mystical eye sees God at work: seeing, hearing, acting, even in forms that are utterly secular. In the contingency of literacy programs or collaboration in building a school, God’s action is manifest. It is a mysticism of wide-open eyes. . . .

          Dorothee Sölle, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance,

          trans. Barbara and Martin Rumscheidt (Fortress Press: 2001), 283

          Quoted by Richard Rohr, Daily Meditations, 1/22/21

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go deep the wise ones tell us

go deep into your own self

into that place where Sacred dwells

into that place that defines who you are

 

go deep into that quiet place

where, amidst the cacophony of the world

you can hear the “still small voice” of God

 

stop!

breathe!

be in the moment!

 

notice what you are thinking

accept what you are feeling

 

be

be with your own self

be with God

 

and in that being

be transformed by the renewing of your mind

let go of everything

and go where the Sacred takes you

 

as Jonah had to let go of his fear (perhaps)

and later his resentment

and accept the guidance of God

and the loving-kindness of God

 

as Peter and Andrew and James and John

had to let go of their nets

and their security

an go with Jesus

to be people of The Way

 

every great belief system holds this truth

close to its core

every great faith system has its mystical side

that says good deep

encounter Sacred

let go

and go

 

some believe that such work

is a form of retreat from the world

 

but the reality is much different

the more we are united with God

the more we are connected to the Sacred

as branches to the vine

 

the more our eyes, and ears

and hearts

are opened

 

being intimate with God (and with ourselves – perhaps for the first time)

we are more sensitive

not only to what is going on inside us

but to what is going on around us

 

paradoxically we do not separate from the world

but we enter into the world more completely

 

we enter into the pain, the misery

we enter into the joy, the hope

 

we see the hungry

we see “the whimpering of starving children”

we see the inequity, the injustice

the racism

the hate

the love

the compassion

 

we see it all

and we enter it all

heart, soul, mind and strength

 

we see it, hear it, feel it

and in the power of the Spirit

we respond

 

we see to feed the hungry, clothe the naked

comfort the afflicted

fight for justice

 

this is true mysticism

it is “the mysticism of wide open eyes”

 

the world needs more mystics

 

can I get an “Amen”?