This book will broaden your notion of what it means to be a mystic. You will get a fresh perspective on how God seeks relationship with you and practical examples of ways to interact as an everyday mystic. I was given a copy of this book for my unbiased review.

Repeated refrain: God’s ardent longing and enthusiastic invitation to a deeper relationship.

Mysticism is living with sensitivity to the divine presence and responding to God’s ardent longing and enthusiastic invitation…

Notice the extraordinary in the ordinary.

I absolutely ADORE this book! Sometimes, a rare jewel comes across your reading desk, that you know will automatically become one those books that follows you around everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. The author has such a beautiful way of putting words to paper, which instantly had me feeling comfortable and ready for a good lesson from this wise man. While the book itself is very readable, it is also quite heavy. The author takes his subject seriously, and writes with the assumption that his reader does, too. Which I loved. Each chapter has questions and reflections, to help you better pull apart what you have learned. BECOMING AN ORDINARY MYSTIC is a must-have.

Let me share my 6 takeaways from this wonderful book.

Ordinary Mystic

“Ordinary mystics are always watching for the myriad ways God invites them to a deeper relationship.”

“Mystics are waitresses, welders, writers, and web designers who heartily respond to the direct and enthusiastic invitation of Jesus, “Come, follow me.””

“A personal, mysterious, and incomprehensible God of unconditional love ardently longs for us and enthusiastically invites us to a deeper relationship.”

Who is a mystic? We are all mystics! God seeks each one of us. We each pick up the voice of God and go deeper into our relationship with this God in the way that works best for us. We might write, draw, paint, walk, meditate, read, sing, dance, chant and find the God who seeks us there. We also find the God who seeks us in our everyday tasks we perform as workers, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends. I ask again who is a mystic. The answer is YOU. You are a mystic.



Present Moment

“Fully experience this utterly unique and unrepeatable moment. It will never, ever happen again.”

“To live with attention to the present moment is to be open to a divine visitation.”

““Do what you are doing and do it well.” That’s living in the sacrament of the present moment and responding to the will of God.”

“Jesus’s cardiac spirituality includes being mindful of this present moment’s unmet need or required duty and responding to it with a loving, merciful, humble, and compassionate heart.”

“Our daily pilgrimage is to the first-class cabin called the present moment.”

To be fully present is to be here. Not in the past. And not in the future. It means we enjoy this moment. It will never happen again. I watch the sun rise or set. I look at the beautiful assortment of autumn leaf colors before they gently drop to the ground.

I watch my 11 year old son spontaneously play as he giggles, hops and jumps around. I sip my coffee at the local Starbucks and watch the customers come in and out. Some are hurried. Others sit. Read. Talk. Take a break from their hectic lives.

It also means we listen to a stranger. Feed someone who is hungry. Give a coat to someone who is cold. We meet the need of the present moment!


Are You Here?

“Some of us are here and yet we live in the past, beating ourselves up with guilt for something we did days, months, or even years ago.”

“Jesus insisted we unlearn a lot. He did not want us to be imprisoned in the past with guilt and regret. So much of his ministry was focused on forgiving and freeing sinners from their past (Matthew 9:6; Luke 7:47; 23:34).”

Where do you live? Do you live in the past? Angry at yourself for how you acted with your spouse the previous day. Embarrassed by a comment you made at your staff meeting at work. Upset with yourself for not applying for the new position because you lacked the confidence to go for it.

Or. Are you worried about the future? Will my job be outsourced? What will happen to my health? Will I have enough money to retire and pay my bills?



Dark Night

“Second, besides calling us to disregard and distrust our feelings, the dark night challenges us to let go of our beloved, trusted, and time-tested images of God.”

“Just because we feel that God has withdrawn and abandoned us, does not mean God, in fact, has.”

“For a multitude of reasons—typically (but not always) due to an overload of certain negative feelings such as grief, guilt, shame, or regret—our senses sometimes are incapable of picking up or registering the divine presence.”

The dark night is an invitation to let go of our past images of God and open to a new God. The dark night challenges us to go deeper into God. The dark night challenges us to pick up signals and nudges that we might have missed from God. The dark night challenges us to trust God. Be patient. And wait.


Forgiveness

“Anger, resentment, and grudges are heavy loads to carry under the desert sun. They drain us of much needed energy as we struggle to keep them balanced on our backs. We grow weary.”

“We often forget that the people who wronged us have gone on with their journeys—and are enjoying life! Forgiveness is a gift we give, not to the betrayer, but to ourselves, that unburdens and refreshes our spirits. Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision.”

“Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision.”

Do you hold in anger, resentment, grudges? I do. Sometimes I hold them too long. Other times I immediately let them go. They really do not serve any purpose. They hinder me from living in the present moment. They stop me from enjoying the present and all it has to offer. I am not really here for the people around me. And they notice it too.

When I hold in anger, resentment, and grudges it makes me tired. When you release these strong feelings don’t you feel better? I do. I feel relaxed. I have more energy. The heaviness is gone. I am present and enjoy life.



Next Steps

“One challenge on the spiritual journey is to find what prayer techniques are nourishing and helpful in responding to God’s ardent longing and enthusiastic invitation to a deeper relationship.”

“Unlike using gym equipment that strengthens our muscles, spiritual disciplines are not transforming in themselves. The transformation occurs as we open ourselves and respond to God’s longing and invitation.”

“The spiritual journey challenges us not to feel guilty about the past or anxious about the future; our task is to surrender the past to the mercy of God and to offer the future in trust to God.”

“Many people don’t practice an examination of conscience. Instead, they live on autopilot with no self-reflection.”

Here are some next steps you can take:

Choose a contemplative practice that will nourish your soul. I have chosen centering prayer.
Dig deep in this contemplative practice well!
Trust God.
Journal your thoughts and feelings to God. Write your name. Under your name journal your feelings. Then write God. Under God jot down what do you think God will say to you regarding these feelings and thoughts.

I encourage you to check out The Ordinary Mystic. Discover that you can be a mystic too!

Fabulous! Going deep into the process of prayer without being preachy or overly theological, spending time with Father Haase was a wonderful experience. One I am looking forward to repeating when I re-read this book. There are so many passages I highlighted, inspiration to savor, and a consistent invitation to enter into prayer. I highly recommend Becoming an Ordinary Mystic.

Trying to follow a spiritual life can be hard. Trying to follow God can be hard too. As for aspiring to being a 'mystic'? Forget it?
But maybe it isnt actually that hard, or that unobtainable. Really, what we have to do it try to draw close to God and then follow where he needs. This book helps us ordinary people understand how to do that.

Excellent content. The author covers a plethora of topics and has a wealth of experience. I really with he had spent much more time on a few topics rather than skimming over a large number of topics. As it is, this book would be best for new Christians or seekers.