THE YEAR OF PAUL III: PAUL THE MYSTIC
(This is the third of three articles on aspects of St. Paul’s life and influence.)

Frank DeSiano, CSP

Having looked at Paul's missionary vision, and also at his ongoing preoccupations with the communities he established, we can put these great directions in the life of St. Paul into another significant context for Paul – his mysticism.

“Mysticism” is a kind of mystifying word in itself, used to cover a range of religious experience, somewhat like how the word “metaphysics” in popular usage seems to extend from philosophy to outright magic. But the majority of people can probably agree on a description of mysticism as something like this: the overt sense of union with the transcendent such that one experiences tremendous impact in one's life – often of an emotional or even bodily nature.

For all his being a rather self-sure kind of person, with some sharp edges obvious to many (particularly his opponents), Paul seems to have also had a great capacity to loosen the boundaries of his personality, to feel unity with other people and also unity with God. This unity, which seems also to have been a strong component in the spirituality of Isaac Hecker, lies behind much of the passion that Paul feels, as if he has been possessed by divine realities that simply leave him restless and astonished. Would Paul have been the missionary he was without this strong dimension of personal experience? Would Paul have insisted on the unity and love in Christian congregations as he did without this powerful sense of being caught up in God, and God's love?

One explicit passage that gives Paul the description of mystic is in his rather defensive and self-apologetic Second letter to the Corinthians. While scholars see this letter as a composite of two or more letters, it is clearly one written with spleen – Paul indirectly criticizes the Corinthians as somehow exempt from all the suffering he has to endure – as if they were royalty! At the same time, he responds to their belittling of him as an inferior apostle (he wasn't a “super-apostle”), as spiritually handicapped (he doesn't have the special religious expe-riences that they claim for themselves), and as an ineffective cleric (he doesn't demand from them the money that apostles demand),

In the midst of this defensiveness, Paul begins a line of thinking like this: you want me to boast, OK, I will! After boasting of his apostolic struggles and sufferings, he begins to boast of his spiritual experiences, talking about himself as if he were someone else (2 Cor. 12:1-10) We, of course, have no clear idea what Paul means by “being caught up to the third heaven,” but it certainly refers to experiences that, according to Paul, anticipate the future life of heaven's joy. Perhaps this part of Paul might particularly appeal to many contemporaries who seem intent on “spiritual experience” as some extraordinary authentication of themselves.

The dimension of Paul's mysticism that can appeal to (and challenge) almost anyone, however, I think can be found in some of Paul's less defensive letters. Although in Galatians Paul clearly has a distinct opponent in mind, and although he virtually rages and insults the community in Chapter 3, Paul can also in this letter point to his overwhelming sense of being identified with Christ. As far as he is concerned, “I no longer live; rather, Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) What a powerful sense of consistent participation in Christ, in the transcendent Other, which virtually meshes his identity with Christ's. And, although he can think of Christ distinctly as one crucified, he also can think of Christ as having taken over his life. One often gets the sense that Paul has been seized by God.

My favorite location for Paul's mysticism – one that would warm any Paulist heart– is in the eighth chapter of Romans. In this complex letter Paul is addressing the truth that everyone now, Jew and Gentile, has access to God because God has shown mercy upon everyone in Jesus Christ. After elaborating the alienation that both Jews and non-Jews experience through sin, he goes through a mental exercise in chapter seven to show that the very desire we have to follow God leads to the very sins that betray that desire. “Who will save me from this body of sin?” he asks.

In the eighth chapter of Romans Paul elaborates the life of the Christian in the Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus Christ poured out into the hearts of those who accept Christ. Paul sees this Spirit dwelling in the Christian, even taking over the Christian when the Christian may be least aware of it. We do not know what to pray for, says Paul, but the Spirit of God groans with us – a groaning that permeates all creation as it cries out for divine fulfillment. Thus even our awkward outpourings in prayer show the union we have with God in the Spirit. For Paul, the gift of the Spirit is such that nothing can separate us from God's love and life – not even the trials that he has to undergo as part of his ministry, nor the threats that come upon Christians because of their belief. The Spirit's abiding within us is, for Paul, the beginning of our ultimate fulfillment, our salvation, in eternal life.

To write this chapter, Paul had to expose his own soul – the pressures and questions and issues that beset him throughout his life. When Paul does this, Paul shows not the wrangling of an obsessive man, but the signs of the Spirit's indwelling in mystical power.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

1. To what extent do you think that Catholics today have experiences like Paul's, experiences that might be termed mystical?

2. What are the dynamics that have opened up a sense of union with the divine in your own life – your struggles or great joys?

3. Can you connect Paul's celebration of the Spirit with Fr. Hecker's openness to the Spirit's guidance? How were they similar? Different?

FORMAT FOR THE MEETING:

1. Check-in
2. Paulist Prayer (Either the ordinary of the Psalter or, after Feb. 6th, from the prayers for Lent.)
3. Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-13; note that some of his language is ironic in this passage.)
4. Reactions to the readings and newsletter
5. Apostolic reports, “Paulist” opportunities
6. Prayer (Prayer for Paulist Vocations, p. 411)
7. Announcements and Plans for next meeting
8. Refreshments

CHRONOLOGY

February 6, 2008: Ash Wednesday begins
February 7, 2008: 150th Anniversary Celebration at UCLA
Feb. 16, 2008: 150th Anniversary Celebration in Chicago
March 10: General Council Meeting in New York
March 26-28: Superiors/Pastors/Directors in Washington, DC, to review material from the Strategic Planning Committee

BOB BRUCKEN, PAULIST ASSOCIATE, DIES JANUARY 3, 2008

I am writing to tell you of the death of Bob Brucken, Paulist Associate. He lived with metastatic colon cancer for over six years. His artistry, zest for life, and love of family were ever-present. Whenever he was faced with a decision about treatment, he chose the path that would give him the greatest chance of living. He leaned on the constant love, care, and support of his wife Mickey, their son Alex and daughter-in-law Chris.
 
Bob was an advertising executive for several years before becoming a teacher. He worked at a career center helping high school students prepare their portfolios so they could apply to art schools and earn scholarships. He taught life lessons to young people who needed a guiding hand. Bob continued to work with his students until December 21, 2007, the last day of the fall semester. He died on January 3, 2008.
 
Bob played a major role in the artistic design of the recent Newman Center expansion. He created large liturgical backdrops for the altar. For several years, he brought flowers from his own garden to decorate the altar. He was part of Cum Christo (Cursillo) and scripture prayer. He worked closely with the College of Art and Design in Columbus.
 
Bob's wife Mickey is one of the “original” Associates in Columbus, making her first commitment on June 2, 2000. Bob became an Associate on May 3, 2002. Please keep Bob and Mickey, Alix and Christy in your prayers.
 
Thank you.
 
Jane Kelsey
Paulist Associate, Columbus

SPECIAL NOTICES: 150th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

150TH ANNIVERSARY CONVOCATION
WASHINGTON, DC
JUNE 19-21, 2008
AT CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

Please send your registration through www.paulist.org/convocation and join the Paulists, Associates, Co-workers and Friends

TWO TRIPS TO ITALY IN NOVEMBER, 2008

The Paulists are sponsoring a trip to Italy November 7 – 15. Information from the “Office of Paulist Media Relations”

Fr. Frank DeSiano and his sister, Sister Ann Barbara, will host a trip to Italy November 10-21, 2008 for “Family, Friends and Associates.” Cost is $3,000, which includes airfare from JFK (plus 10% more in taxes, etc.) Information, itinerary and subscription form from: desianocsp@aol.com

CONTACT:

The Paulist Associates
c/o Frank DeSiano, CSP
8611 Midland Parkway
Jamaica, NY 11432

718-291-5995