Love in a lonely world

A local church leader warns that the internet depersonalizes people and brings them to withdraw in their small world in which they lose social skills and manipulate or violate others. We lose ourselves in our virtual world where we stand in the centre and care nothing for direct, healthy and healing person-to-person communication.

Mysticism as encounter with God creates an intimate bond and unity between God and humanity is sometimes thought to contribute to such subjectivity. Some complain that this is often too individualistic and represents uncontrolled subjective experiences.

Against this understanding of mysticism, many authors underline that mysticsim is closely linked with social justice, care for others and concern for God's creation. Karl Rahner, for example, insisted that our present world should develop a political sanctification which nurtures concern for others, especially those on the fringes of society. Mysticism does not create solipsism.

And yet, it remains true that mysticism is always related to a highly individual experience. One can have experiences of the divine in liturgy, in bible study groups, in spiritual meetings and in group contexts. But, as Rahner insisted, ultimately mysticism is about being in the presence of God in solitude and silence. It is about an experience in which one becomes aware of the divine love which one cannot fathom intellectually or express fully in human language, but which touched one's heart and transformed one's existence. It is an experience that purifies one, illuminates and sanctifies one to become part of a spiritual journey.

Once again, though, one shares this individual experience with the rest of humanity to whom God also relates in love. One becomes part of a spiritual community whose members are characterized by their loving relationship with the divine and with one another.

Why is this special, individual relationship so important? In our world people are becoming supra-individualistic or solipsistic. They are driven back in their own private little spheres of lfe because of complete loneliness. In our massive world people sometimes act desperately to attract attention because they are so alone and on their own. They seek the fifteen minutes of fame, act anti-socially or dress up in unorthodox ways. In some cases it can be pure fun - being different or challenging prejudices. But very often it reflects deep unhappiness and loneliness. Then people are no longer individuals who are part of humanity, but they distance themselves from others. They no longer share the experience of a loving relationship with the Other, but feel threatened by the others. They live for themselves and care only for themselves.

Mysticism breaks open this closed world view by implanting love in the human soul and making humanity aware that this is a divine, graceful gift which one shares with and for God’s creation.

Mysticism is not narcism or mere self-love. It liberates one from self-involvement and self-centredness by involving one in a loving relationship with the divine. Mysticism purifies one from the lonely, self-centred solipsistic existence. In the mystical experience one grasps how abundantly love is given and finally, in the mystical experience one seeks to grow deeper into this love for the divine and God’s creation.