By God’s Grace Mystic Communion With God is Possible For Anyone
Saturday, March 13, 2021
Meister Eckhart
Philosopher, Theologian, Mystic
Dominicon Monk
born near Gotha 1260
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is the Lord’s alone.
James 4:15
Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’
Words of Grace For Today
Many see that Martin Luther was pivotly influenced by Theologia Germanica, thought by many to be written by Meister Eckhart, while he was in hiding. Luther provided the title as he assembled editions of it from not commonly available manuscripts that came to his attention.
Luther is said to have written:
[N]ext to the Bible and St. Augustine, no book has ever come into my hands, from which I have learned … more of God, and Christ, and man and all things that are….Wikipedia.
While traditionally mystics are seen as having ‘ecstatic experiences’ of the divine, uniting themselves with the divine, unlike other humans, Luther’s theology provides much more profound understanding of the divine presence in creation: it is sacramental. That is God makes Godself known to any who wish to notice in the most mundane and common things.
This does not detract from the complete otherness of the divine, nor our being made in God’s image, nor our great distance from being anything perfect. Rather it affirms that God bridges the great gap between the infinite and finite. Traditionally Christians have affirmed that God is present in the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist, and in the Water of Baptism, and in the Word preached, sung and prayed, and in the gathering of two or three faithful.
Sacramental mystics do not strive to attain unity with God. We affirm the long tradition since Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and Paul, Augustine, and Luther: We humans are sinful and cannot save ourselves. God comes to live among us to demonstrate to us so clearly that God is with us, God’s Kingdom is at hand, and that God delights in being present with us and in creation for all to experience.
Creation gives witness: God is here with us. God has made us saints, though simultaneously we remain sinners. We are able by God’s Grace alone to reflect God’s unconditional love for all, to all.
What a life!
Our enemies ought to cower at the power of God, who knows each and every thing they do.
Our enemies ought to run toward God’s love, for only there can they be safe.
For God will eradicate all Evil in God’s own time.
God delights in being present with us and in creation for all to experience.
So we pray:
The lot is cast into our laps, but the decision is the Lord’s alone. If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that, for the decision is the Lord’s alone.
We trust that no matter what comes our way, God delights in being present with us and in creation for all to experience.