Posted by Today we celebrate the feast of St. Bridget of Sweden, as well as commemorating the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. St. Birgitta (commonly called Bridget) was born at the beginning of the fourteenth century into one of the most prominent noble families in Sweden. Her father was the governor of Upland, the principal province of Sweden. At the age of fourteen she married Ulf Gudmarson, who was himself only eighteen. They were married for twenty eight years and had eight children. Around 1335 she joined the court of King Magnus II of Sweden, as the principal lady in waiting to his newly wedded queen, Blanche of Namur. She attempted to use this role to improve the queen’s character. She was already noted for her visions (which she had experienced from an early age). She was not always successful in her attempts to improve the morality of those around her. Eventually she took a leave of absence from the court and went on a pilgrimage to the shrine at Compostela. On the way back her husband became seriously ill, and subsequently died in 1344 at the Cistercian monastery in Alvastra. St. Bridget continued to live at Alvastra for four years. Her visionary experiences became even more pronounced than before. She feared that she might be deluded, but was eventually persuaded that her visions were of God. She communicated them to Peter, prior of Alvastra, who wrote them down in Latin. She returned to the court of King Magnus to rebuke his evil ways and he was persuaded to endow the monastery that St. Bridget founded at Vadstena. The order was a double monastery, with monks and nuns in separate enclosures. The men were subject to the abbess of the nuns in temporal matters, but in spiritual matters the women were subject to the superior of the monks. Though instituted as double monasteries, the Bridgettines subsequently became an exclusively female order. In 1349 St. Bridget left Sweden to travel to Rome and remained there for most of the rest of her life. It was during the period when the papacy had migrated to Avignon. St. Bridget was one of those who very strongly urged the popes to return to Rome. Her visions continued, and she was quite fearless in speaking truth to power when it was necessary. This meant that she was not popular in some circles, but her advice and warnings were always respected. In 1371 she embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Places in Palestine. She died soon after her return to Rome on July 23, 1373. She is the patron saint of Sweden.
But what is the place of mysticism in Christianity? To describe someone as a mystic suggests that they are far removed from ordinary life and experience, and may suggest something esoteric. It should be said at once that Christianity is not primarily about mystical experience, but rather service of God and neighbour. The revelation of God recorded in the Law and the Prophets and incarnate in the Word made flesh is a public revelation addressed to all, rather than a mystical experience only addressed to some. The Law received by Moses on the mountainside was addressed to the people of Israel as a whole. It was not an esoteric or private mystical experience only attainable by certain elect souls. The prophets likewise addressed themselves to the people as a whole, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear. Since Christ himself came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets he too addressed himself to the people as a whole, not just an elect few. The Christian faith is for all nations, tribes and tongues. That is why the early Church rejected Gnosticism (the belief in salvation by esoteric or secret knowledge inaccessible to the multitude). The message of the Incarnation is all about the Word becoming flesh in time and history, so that the human race can be redeemed from sin and death. The message of redemption is for all, not just some. It is not like the impassive serenity of the Buddha, detached from the world of suffering in an impersonal nirvana.
However, though Christianity is not primarily about mystical experience, this does not mean that there is no place for mysticism in the Christian life. What distinguishes Christian from non- Christian mysticism is that it is focused on Christ, and takes as its basis the Scriptures and liturgy of the Church. Precisely because it is centred on Christ it is a mysticism that is addressed and accessible to all, not just a private revelation to the few. It is not about withdrawal from the world of suffering, but about redemption through suffering. St. Bridget embraced the way of the Cross and sought redemption through it. It was from this experience that she could speak about the life of holiness, and the need to become detached from worldly attitudes to focus on God. The human race has fallen from grace because it has sought for happiness in the things of this world. Redemption can only be found from detachment from the things of this world and being reborn in Christ. Yet, as we are reborn and renewed and less absorbed by wordly standards and attitudes, we are able to become more, not less, involved in this world because we are able to see what really matters. We can become by grace what Christ is by nature.
But what of the particular mystical experiences of St. Bridget herself? They belong on the same level as the mystical experiences of other saints such as St. Gertrude, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila. They are not part of the public revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a message received always, everywhere and by all. Acceptance of their particular mystical experiences and spirituality is not an essential part of the Christian faith, but we acknowledge their witness and the testimony of their lives as saints precisely because they are so deeply rooted in the faith received everywhere, always and by all. Ultimately, the criterion we must use is not so much an analysis of the type of experience itself, which may be related to the particular personality of the individual Christian believer, but the fruit that it bore both in their own lives and the lives of saints. “By their fruits ye shall know them”. If the Christian believer claims to have particular mystical experiences, and yet they do not strive to lead a life of service to God and neighbour then there would seem to be good grounds for questioning the genuineness of the experiences. If on the other hand the Christian believer claims to have particular mystical experiences, and they strive to leave a life of service to God and neighbour then there would seem to be good grounds for accepting the genuineness of them. If they are truly faithful to Christ they will not claim to base their faith on their own particular experience, though it may well give them added strength and consolation in times of adversity, but rather on the public revelation to the saints as received always, everywhere and by all. If we remain steadfast to that faith and live in love and service to God and neighbour, then we will be truly following the example of St. Bridget and of all the saints who have been the chosen vessels of God’s grace and lights to the world in their several generations.