The Catholic Mystics: An Inspiration in Their Day and Today

The catholic mystics were an inspirational group of people that made a huge impact on the church and society during the 14th century. Their testimonies of how they sought God and found him on a personal level are very intriguing. They had many personal experiences with Christ and were active in teaching others how to have a deep relationship with God as well. Some of their writings have inspired me to draw closer to God and seek to experience Him on a daily basis.

The catholic mystics sought to reform the church from dry religious observance to experiencing the emotional closeness to Christ. In their eyes, the gospel had been turned into a dry form of practices that did not connect with the heart of man. They believed that man has a deep-seated need to know God and experience God on a personal level. However, their observance in the church was that this was not taking place.

Other forces, rather than just reforming the church, of the time period caused people to seek the mystic experiences with God. Social and political chaos was commonplace in the 14th century, leaving people in an unstabilized place, feeling helpless and needing God desperately in their lives. The Black Death which ravaged through Europe in the mid-fourteenth century caused people to seek God on a deeper level. Also, the Great Schism caused many people to doubt church leadership, and they desired to seek a relationship with God on their own.

There are two groups of catholic mystics that became dominant in the fourteenth century. They were the Latin and the Teutonic mystics. The Latin mystics highly emphasized the personal, emotional experience with Christ. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was a well-known Latin mystic. Much of what we know about her is preserved in the letters she wrote to others describing her relationship to Christ and encouraging others to follow Him deeply as well. She describes what she calls her "Mystical Marriage" with Christ and how Christ instructed her to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life as a servant.

She spent much of her life taking care of the sick and the poor in hospitals as well as homes. But is also well known for her crusade through northern and central Italy calling for reform within the clergy and teaching people that repentance and renewal could be achieved through "the total love for God". God spoke to her in visions, and what God spoke to her, she put into action practically in her own life and on behalf of others as well. She held a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI asking for reform in the clergy. Her mystical relationship with Christ caused her to not only influence the Pope but also kings and other people of nobility in her time.

The Teutonic catholic mystics believed also in the personal experiences with Christ, but also added that Christian service was a key role in experiencing Christ on a deeper level. The man who is said to be the founder of the Teutonic mystics is Meister Eckhart (1260-1328). He believed deeply in the spiritual experiences with Christ, and taught as the main theme in his sermons how to achieve the presence of God in the soul and the great value of the soul that was filled with God. The Roman Papacy thought he went too far with his teachings and denounced him.

However, Eckhart's teachings lived on in a group of Dominicans known as the Friends of God. John Tauler (1300-1361) was their leader, and he preached that the inward closeness with God was much more important and needed than ritual ceremonies. It is said of Tauler that when the Black Death came to his town in 1348 he did not evacuate with the others that were able but stayed behind so that he could minister to those who could not leave. A work that came out of this group was entitled, "Theologia Germanica". It is well-believed that Martin Luther found this book to be inspirational in his search for salvation.

Another group of catholic mystics was the Brethren of the Common Life. Their founder was Gerard Groote (1340-1384) who preached fervently to purify the the corruption he saw in the church and it's followers. The Brethren of the Common Life consisted of laymen that lived in a community for public service. They believed that teaching and servant-hood were more essential in experiencing God, rather than just having a passive experience with God. This group, the Brethren of the Common Life, along with the Friends of God, held education for young people in high esteem and built large and excellent schools. These schools were tuition free and provided education "for the love of God alone." Martin Luther studied under the Brethren of the Common Life for a time at Magdeburg.

The Brethren of the Common Life made great use of the new invention of the printing press and published their spiritual works widely. Probably the most famous piece of work that came from them was the "Imitation of Christ". It was written by Thomas a' Kempis (1379-1471) and shows the practical way in which the Brethren of the Common Life expressed their relationship to God. It shows the need for service and love for Christ in a humble, practical way.

The catholic mystic movement laid a semi-foundation for the Protestant Reformation, in that it emphasized a personal experience with God, rather than depending upon church clergy to administer the rituals of God to them. The catholic mystics did not reject the external ceremonies of the church, but rather, realized that there was more to God than performing rituals. Many good things came out of the catholic mystics movement, however, the emphasis on personal experience also led to doctrinal issues and errors amongst individuals and groups. The catholic mystic movement is a fascinating reform act that took place within the church to bring it out of dry religion and into real relationship with God.