Annie12 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I was trying to read up on saints that were mystics but Google isn't doing it's job. Does anyone know any cool saints that were mystics or had extraordinary graces during their lifetime? Are there any saints that experiences Christ's passion during prayer, etc...? (I hope this specific enough and doesn't describe every saint ever but, I hope you know what I am talking about.) Thanks! Pax! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 The obvious ones you should know are Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross. A lesser-known one I know of is Saint Hildegard von Bingen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 St. Gemma Galgani, Blessed Catherine Emmerich & St. Padre Pio...but don't forget saints like St. Thérèse who did not have visions, but who were open to many great graces from God. :saint: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the171 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'm pretty sure that all saints are mystics, in the fullest sense of the word. :) Ruth Burrows's book Guidelines for Mystical Prayer explains it well. She's a Carmelite novice mistress and she pays close attention to the Carmelite saints, but it's easy to apply what she writes more generally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tab'le De'Bah-Rye Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) St padre pio had the stigmata as did saint francis i think. There have been numerous mystics that have been witnessed to levitate during prayer, i was reading on one recently that did this on his death bed and there where several witnesses. Oh st padre pio also had the gift of bi-location which in the pagan world is called astral travel, old st padre pio was seen numerous times during world war 1 or 2 unsure which one and when confronted with this by people that they saw him the truth is that he never left his abbey, ever. :reaper: Edited February 23, 2014 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Sr Ruth Burrows OCD (Carmelite monastery at Quidenham in Norwich, England) also wrote "The Interior Castle Explored " with some unusual perspectives and certainly departing from the more traditional type commentaries on "The Interior Castle" (St Teresa of Avila) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) Catherine of Siena was a mystic, and wrote (dictated, actually - she was illiterate) down her conversations with Christ. She also experienced a mystical exchange of hearts with Christ. Julian of Norwich is also considered a mystic. She also left writings. Caveat: I don't think any of the mystic saints are/were cool, or ever wanted to be, or ever tried to be. Cool has nothing to do with mysticism. Edited February 23, 2014 by Luigi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matana Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 St. Lutgardis is an interessting mystic, too. She lived at the same time as St. Francis and had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart. Thomas Merton wrote a really good book about her called What are these Wounds, but I think it's out of print. Quoting Wikipedia here: According to Merton, Lutgardis "...entered upon the mystical life with a vision of the pierced Heart of the Saviour, and had concluded her mystical espousals with the Incarnate Word by an exchange of hearts with Him." And there are the three mystics who lived in the convent of Helfta: St. Gertrude the Great, St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn and St. Mechthild of Magdeburg. The latter wrote Das fließende Licht der Gottheit (it seems to have various titles in English) about her visions of God. All of these are Cistercians by the way. Make of that what you want ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie12 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Did the saints generally have similar things happen to them by God's grace. For example, ecstasy, visions, etc. or were there experiences that were unique to a particular saint? By the way, I love St. Therese. Her "little way" is so inspiring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Did the saints generally have similar things happen to them by God's grace. For example, ecstasy, visions, etc. or were there experiences that were unique to a particular saint? By the way, I love St. Therese. Her "little way" is so inspiring! Ecstasy and visions and similar experiences are not necessary to mysticism. (St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross both warn against treating them as important at all.) Pure mysticism is simply the soul's union with God, perhaps best and most beautifully expressed in the words of St Paul: "It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me." Teresa's Interior Castle is the most famous explanation of the process. According to this definition, which isn't based on the experiences of which the two great Carmelite reformers were so sceptical but on pure faith in the gift of God, Therese of Lisieux certainly was a mystic too. Another book I would like to recommend, short and sweet, is Sr Elizabeth Ruth Obbard's St Teresa's Way of Perfection for Everyone. (Don't tell, but I prefer this to the original Way of Perfection - Teresa never thought to add such smile=provoking and thoughtful cartoon illustrations to her work!) It's a lovely practical illustration of mysticism as St Teresa understood it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Beatitude, I will be adding your book suggestions to my wish list. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlySunshine Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I was trying to read up on saints that were mystics but Google isn't doing it's job. Does anyone know any cool saints that were mystics or had extraordinary graces during their lifetime? Are there any saints that experiences Christ's passion during prayer, etc...? (I hope this specific enough and doesn't describe every saint ever but, I hope you know what I am talking about.) Thanks! Pax! I have several favorite saints who were mystics including: St. Gemma Galgani St. Catherine of Siena St. Rose of Lima St. Faustina Kowalska St. Margaret Mary (my patroness for the year!) St. Bernadette of Lourdes St. Catherine Laboure St. Padre Pio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Saints who were mystics: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie12 Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Ecstasy and visions and similar experiences are not necessary to mysticism. (St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross both warn against treating them as important at all.) Pure mysticism is simply the soul's union with God, perhaps best and most beautifully expressed in the words of St Paul: "It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me." Teresa's Interior Castle is the most famous explanation of the process. According to this definition, which isn't based on the experiences of which the two great Carmelite reformers were so sceptical but on pure faith in the gift of God, Therese of Lisieux certainly was a mystic too. Another book I would like to recommend, short and sweet, is Sr Elizabeth Ruth Obbard's St Teresa's Way of Perfection for Everyone. (Don't tell, but I prefer this to the original Way of Perfection - Teresa never thought to add such smile=provoking and thoughtful cartoon illustrations to her work!) It's a lovely practical illustration of mysticism as St Teresa understood it. Okay, this answers my question so well! It also reminds me what I learned in a theology class about the way to unification with God by purification, illumination and then finally unification. Wasn't that attributied to St. Bennadict? I foget... Anyway, thank you for you insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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