This is the difficulty I think for many modern Catholics in regarding the Ways of Prayer, The Mystical Path in that we do so with the eyes of this World rather than with the Mind of Christ. For if the Spiritual Path leads us up the mountain of God how could we consider that we are at or are destined to be on the very same place on the Holy Mountain of Zion?
Its more to do with Wisdom, which I would define as the virtue of referring all things to Christ. There is a Legend that St Paul spent three years alone in the Arabian desert for three years after his conversion in prayer. I can well believe it.
We see many examples in the lives of the saints of the apparently random actions of the King of Heaven. The Queen of Heaven visited St Bernadette Soubirous in a Grotto in Lourdes. The poorest, most broken down family in the town and to a girl who was sickly and pretty well uneducated. Her novice mistress and religious superior could not understand it either and so persecuted her. Envy I suspect being the key motive. Why Bernadette? Why not them? When St Tereasa of the Andes entered Carmel it was clear to the Prioress that Teresa was already a saint and had been since her school days. She confided this to the Novice Mistress who could not understand or accept it. She had been a nun in Carmel all those years and here was a girl already a Saint. Again I suspect it was envy that set in and she persecuted poor Teresa. When the messages from Our Lady of Fatima asking for the Consecration of Russia was passed on to the Vatican one high Curial official responded, 'We will not be dictated to by illiterate peasant children from the Portugese Mountains'. ...and of course it was the same with Jesus Himself, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Our God is a God of surprises.
I love this! All of it! Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones. People try to conceptualize the scriptures through the eyes of the natural world. Then they come up with weird worldly theology. Only the Holy Spirit reveals these things, like when a piece of scripture suddenly fills you up with Joy. I might have read it a 1000 times before, but this time it is revealed to a certain extent.
God is not a pussy cat. You can't take Him up on your lap and pet Him. People often make the mistake that they somehow own God, when it is He who made them.. The cat they think they own is actually a lion, wild and free. The person who believes he understands God the most, comprehends Him the least. Just before he died St Thomas Aquinas had a mystical experience of God and refused to write anymore stating that all he had ever written of God was just so much hay. He was probably the greatest theologian who ever lived.
There is a word in Hebrew, Kavod. https://worldprayer.org.uk/resources/the-weight-of-glory-and-the-hebrew-word-caved/ “Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.” I have seen the passing Glory of God, the Kavod, twice in my life, once on the island of Cyprus and once in the City of Jerusalem. Believe me I hit the ground like a stone on both occasions in holy terror. This was only the whisk of His garment in passing for no one can see the Face of God and live. But yes, a roaring lion rather than a pussy cat. Isaiah 4:5 Then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”
I get the sense that a huge part of those three years was also reconciling his experiences with what he knew of God already, and what he was witnessing from other Christians.
I think the account I read came from Blessed Catherine Emmerich whose writings are very reliable. As far as I recall right after his conversion he went right away into the desert for three years and I believe she gives an account of some of the things he saw there: I must check.
Or it might have been Teresa Neuman. must check. Galatians 1:17 I [Paul] did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.
I don't think St. Paul was casting out demons, healing the sick and raising the dead until after those three years. I think he was also practicing living in the Spirit / Kingdom of Heaven for those 3 years. An interesting thing is that the other Apostles were with Jesus for 3 years before the great commission.
Yes he was a student. He didn't come out of nowhere. He had to learn. I believe it was in the desert he was raised up to the Third Heaven . What is the third heaven? Well we have the nine choirs of angels. The Third Heaven is that occupied by the top three choirs Thrones, cherubim and Seraphim. Even consider it, three years in the desert, that number tells us much. 2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. So, anyway I think it was in this revelation he was taught the basis of his great theology. In the Third heavens. He didn't read about it in any books. He learnt it first hand
He was probably right up there in the learning of the Old Testament being as he was a student of Rabbi Gamaliel whom we learn of in Acts. Also who is canonised as a saint in the Orthodox tradition. Nor was he chosen to persecute the poor Christians by the Temple authorities without reason. As we can see from Acts he was very,very widely read including amongst the ancient Greek philosophers. Acts 5:34-39 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
I would say St Paul is the finest teacher of Mystical Theology of all time. Why? Because he experienced it all himself.... and at a very,very, high level and had the intellectual equipment to deal with and explain it...as far as anyone could or can. Anyway he is my favourite writer on the subject. 2 Corinthians 3:18 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,a]">[a] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.b]">[b] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
St. Seraphim of Sarov was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Holy Synod in 1903. His reputation on Earth and from heaven is similar to the Catholic saints John Vianney or Padre Pio. Catholics who follow the Russian usage of the Byzantine rite regularly venerate him, and St. John Paul II referred to him as a saint in his book interview Crossing the Threshold of Hope. So although he has not been canonized according to the canonical process of the Roman Church, his veneration may be compared to that of other saints of Russia; for example, St. Sergius or Sts. Boris and Gleb, who are venerated in the Roman martyrology without having been formally canonized.
I heard that St. Paul spoke 6 languages. He was a towering intellect, but even then he didn't care anymore because he understood how to live and move in the Spirit. Philippians 3:8 Furthermore I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ:
The Fire, brought down to earth of the Prophets. Seen for instance in the Confession Box of the Cure of Ars of Padre Pio. 1 Kings 18:25 Elijah on Mount Carmel …24Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.” 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
These guys worked out in the Spirit 24/7. Never a moment wasted. Constantly in belief and communion. 2 Kings 6:15-18 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
I think if you have a good active prayer life you enter into a real living personal relationship with Jesus and this changes everything. If you do not have such a relationship or a poor one I think you kind of bury God by wrapping Him up in your own ideas of what He is. On the other hand if you have a direct experiential living relationship with Him you soon realise that you cannot wrap God up in the wrapping paper of your own ideas like a little parcel . He is bigger, holier, better than that. You can see this in how people encounter Scripture for instance. If there is some difficulty they tend to explain it by saying, 'Oh that is symbolic, an allegory'. Which I suspect is just another way of saying, 'I don't believe it really happened!' ..or, 'I don't believe that is true or applies to the modern day!' A good example is this passage: 2 Kings 2:23-25 23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” 24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. 25 And he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. Modern commentators may rush to say that this didn't actually happen but I don't really have a problem with it. God is God and does as He likes for His own good reasons. The fact that we can't always understand them makes no difference. He is what He is. When the Lion Roars, He Roars.
