Becoming an Ordinary Mystic
Spirituality for the Rest of Us
by Albert Haase, OFM
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Pub Date Aug 27 2019 | Archive Date Aug 28 2019
InterVarsity Press | IVP Formatio
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Description
I should be further along on the spiritual journey.Why don't I see any progress?What am I doing wrong?Do you ever feel like you are walking in spiritual circles? While we might think it would be different for a Franciscan priest, Father Albert Haase shares the same struggles. And yet he also affirms that we are all called to be ordinary mystics, who, in the words of his own spiritual director, are "ordinary Christians who do what we are all called to do: respond to grace."Learning to be a mystic is about cultivating a life with God in which we draw close, listen, and respond moment to moment. We know we will fail at times, but we can also be certain that we follow a God who never stops reaching out to us. This book offers a daily path to making the connection.
Advance Praise
"With scriptural insights and practical exercises, Albert Haase reminds us that God has an ardent longing for a deeper and deeper relationship with each of us. The disciple's journey is a mystical journey that leads to a deeper experience of the ordinary and mundane. To plumb the depths of the secular is to scale the heights of the sacred. An authentic expression of the Franciscan vision of the world!"
-Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation
"In Becoming an Ordinary Mystic, Father Haase has painted a sublimely practical picture of what it might look like to pursue life with Christ in the details of commonplace living. This book is an encouragement to live in the now, reflect on the why, and live purposefully in his presence."
-Manuel Luz, creative arts pastor, author of Honest Worship
"A deeply personal and intimate look at what it means to be a mystic. Father Albert invites us to dive deep and unlock the mysteries of our faith. If we are willing to make the descent, Fr. Albert guides all of us on an adventure rooted in the depths of our heart. It is simple, insightful, and life giving. He successfully helps us merge the secular with the sacred and turns a life on autopilot into a mystical adventure all in the hands of God. His ingenious look at the Beatitudes turns a sometimes perplexing mystery into a life-changing, life-giving freedom that unlocks the past of who we are and why we do what we do. He gives us the keys to help us open what might be a creaky doorway into our faith and shows us how we can discover what it means to be happy. Even if we remotely yearn to live a life as an ordinary mystic, Fr. Albert tells us that we can do it. It is about staying awake, listening to our lives, and taking some risks to let God's will be done. He says it all comes down to one question we should be asking ourselves every day: What is God up to in my life? When you ask that question and begin to search for an answer, you are on the road to becoming an ordinary mystic. Be careful though! The road and the adventure in front of you may very well change your life."
-Chuck Neff, host of The Inner Life, Relevant Radio
"Franciscan Albert Haase is a master storyteller. Throughout Becoming an Ordinary Mystic his pithy, down-to-earth anecdotes draw a reader in. But these tales have a decided plumb line. Into them he skillfully weaves insights from Christian wisdom figures—from Job to Teresa of Ávila to Thomas Merton. What emerges is a surprisingly accessible guide to a mature Christian life saturated with the divine presence. The author gives thoughtful attention to classic spiritual arts of awareness, listening, attentiveness, forgiveness, apophatic and kataphatic prayer as well as experiences of dark night, sin, fear, doubt, and mercy, all while grounding enduring truths in real life using arresting allusions to Haase's own struggles and the struggles of those he ministered to."
-Wendy M. Wright, professor emerita of theology, Creighton University
"Albert Haase holds keen insight for the subtleties of the spiritual journey. His guidance gently leads us along the path that makes meaning out of our life."
-Phileena Heuertz, founding partner of Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism, author of Mindful Silence and Pilgrimage of a Soul
"Belief does not come as naturally for many of us as it did for our parents and grandparents. A world without God seems a live option. So if we are to believe, we will need to be people who have experienced a living God, people who are ordinary mystics. With lucidity, candor, and warmth, Father Haase helps us understand that while being an ordinary mystic isn't necessarily easy, it is simple, and he shows us how to become one."
-Austin Fischer, lead pastor of Vista Community Church, author of Faith in the Shadows
"Want to be a mystic? I didn't, until I read what Father Albert has to say about this surprisingly accessible way of perceiving the road we're traveling. In this short book, you'll find yourself reading along with some of the greatest minds of the church. You'll recognize yourself in the stories, grow through the training exercises, and be inspired by the invitation to claim your inner mystic. And will you become, in the end, one of those blessed ones? That's up to you."
-Alice Camille, coauthor of Fearless: Stories of the American Saints
"We are mystics because we are called to a relationship with God and to live that intimacy God desires with every person. So this is the book many folks have been waiting for. In ordinary language with great examples and stories of real people, Father Haase leads us to understand the spiritual journey in ways that truly touch the heart. Each chapter concludes with an exercise to practice, reflect, and ponder, which I found very helpful. Surely most of us want to become ordinary mystics and this work encourages us to continue seeking the deeper life with God."
-Joseph Tedesco, superior of Mepkin Abbey Trappist Monastery, Moncks Corner, SC
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780830846573 |
| PRICE | $20.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 160 |
Featured Reviews
Eva L, Educator
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.
Rich L, Reviewer
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!
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