Mysticism and the embrace of pain and suffering

St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) was a French Carmelite nun and a Doctor of the Church. She is known for her autobiography, Story of a Soul, which is still a popular spiritual read today. She is one of the most popular saints of the 20th century and still very popular today. St. Thérèse was never known for exhibiting the physical phenomena or ecstasies many other mystics throughout history have shown, and actually considered herself an anti-mystic. However, her deep understanding of scripture and her connection to God shows she definitely had a mystical connection to the divine. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love is an absolutely essential component of Christian mysticism. It is the driving force as well as the ultimate goal: to know God and to love God. But like all other aspects of Christian mysticism, it is deeply wrapped in paradox.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pain and suffering is part of every mystical journey and throughout history, Christian mystics have embraced it. The classic path to mysticism can be described in three steps: purgation, illumination, and union. But for Christian mystics, the purgation never ends. In this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire delves into the lives of Christian mystics and explains how they considered pain and suffering a gift from God.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM (1905 – 1938) was a Polish Catholic religious sister and mystic. Faustyna had apparitions of Jesus Christ, which inspired the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy and earned her the title of the "secretary" of Divine Mercy.Throughout her life, Kowalska reported having visions of Jesus and conversations with Him, which she noted in her diary, later published as The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. Her biography, submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, quoted some of the conversations with Jesus regarding the Divine Mercy devotion.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Christian Bible is full of imagery and instruction that Christian mystics have used as inspiration and direction in their mystical journeys. In our last episode, Dr. Carlos Eire shared a sampling of Old Testament scripture that Christian mystics have used and meditated on over the centuries. In this episode, we explore the New Testament and how Christian mystics used it as inspiration.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Christian Bible is full of imagery and instruction that Christian mystics have used as inspiration and direction in their mystical journeys. In this episode, Dr Carlos Eire shares a sampling of Old Testament scripture that Christian mystics have used and meditated on over the centuries. In the next episode, we'll explore the New Testament and the inspiration mystics found in that scripture. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the human brain the source of mystical experience? You may be surprised to learn scientists have been able to map the part of the brain that becomes active when individuals are in prayer, but that doesn't necessarily mean mysticism is just a hallucination or psychosis. In this episode, we discuss how the brain plays a role in mysticism and how modern psychology's penchant to pathologize mystical experiences as a mental disorder may be too quick to discredit real mysticism. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St. Gemma Galgani (March 12, 1878 -- April 11, 1903) was a “Daughter of the Passion” and lived a short life of intense veneration and imitation of Christ’s passion despite her own physical and emotional pain. She received the gift of the stigmata at the age of 21 and experienced mystical experiences with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and her guardian angel. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we discuss the intersection between Christian mysticism and the phenomena of demonic possession and exorcism.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St. Padre Pio (1887-1968) was a 20th century ecstatic mystic, much like the mystics from the early age. A healer who was obviously influenced by St. Francis, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and several other mystics, he was best known for the physical and paranormal phenomena that accompanied his ecstasies, especially the stigmata, bilocation, levitation, the ability to read minds and predict future events. If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.