Heartwork for Daily Life: An Invitation to Journey with Christian Mystics

There is a river running through the heart of Christianity, deep and ancient—yet many have never tasted its waters. The tradition of Christian mysticism is an ancient and varied source of inspiration and provocation. Yet it has not always received the recognition it deserves. Those we call “mystics” were often at the margins of the church in their day, though they blazed paths that reframed the Church’s teachings and spawned new practices meant to encourage faithful living. For them, the experience of the divine was at the heart of their quest. Who were they? Priests, those in religious life, and laypersons; young and old; seasoned “insiders” and daring voices at the margins. Each found distinctive ways to reimagine familiar pathways of faith and discover new forms of life. Their story, which predates Christianity, reminds us that our wholeness has everything to do with the “depth” dimension of life, leading us to experience anew the “God beyond God.”

Despite the fruitfulness of their witness, theirs is a story that remains often untold or neglected, an undiscovered treasure in the life of our faith communities. And even though many might have heard Karl Rahner’s bold claim that “the Christian of the future will be a mystic or nothing at all,” we are often unclear about his suggestion that we, too, are called to be mystics ourselves. What could that mean? We’ll consider this question by exploring how these sources might shape the vitality of our faith and contribute to the integrity of our lives—and communities. We’ll meet a select company of such “mentors” from the Middle Ages—Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart, and Julian of Norwich—each of whom represents distinct styles or modes of mysticism.

This retreat opens a year-long exploration of this tradition as we seek to find inspiration for the “heartwork” that sings our lives, discovering new paths and practices of faith for our lives.