John R. Mabry > Quotes

“most flowery, romantic, sickeningly sweet terms imaginable. No less a heavyweight than Augustine even waxed treacly when he wrote: “O Lord, how I love you! You pounded on my heart with your Word until I loved you. . . . But what do I love when I love you? Not beautiful bodies or the loveliness of the passing seasons, not the radiance of light around us that make our eyes leap with joy, not the sweet melodies of songs, not the fragrance of flowers or perfumes or spices, not cakes or honey, not the entangled limbs of lovers. These are not the things I love when I love God. And yet, I love a light and a voice and a fragrance and a food and an embrace when I love God, who is a light, a voice, a fragrance, a food, and an embrace to my innermost self. . . . This is what I love when I love God.”
― John R. Mabry, Growing into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism

“As Julian of Norwich put it, “And thus I saw God, and sought God. I had God, and at the same time I wanted God. And this is, and should be, what we are all working towards.”1”
― John R. Mabry, Growing into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism

“Zarathushtra has given us a model that is amazingly intuitive: when we are faced with a discernment to make 1) we try to view it from the perspective of others; 2) we apply our powers of reason; 3) we meditate; and finally 4) we listen for a word from the Divine.”
― John R. Mabry, Noticing the Divine: An Introduction to Interfaith Spiritual Guidance

“Awakening is a momentary flash of insight when we are granted a glimpse of the universe as God sees it.”
― John R. Mabry, Growing into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism

“You will not be able to pray purely if you are all involved with material affairs and agitated with unremitting concerns. For prayer is the rejection of concepts.” — Evagrius Ponticus”
― John R. Mabry, Growing into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism

“My soul wells up and my mind is illumined, my heart is on fire, and all of my desires have become gentle and kind. I don’t know where I am, I just know that my Love has embraced me. And because my Love has surrounded me I now possess something I never had before. I don’t know what it is, but I hope I never lose it. . . . Was this, finally, my Beloved? . . . It is indeed your Beloved who visits you, but he comes in an invisible form. He comes disguised, beyond comprehension. . . . He comes to arouse you, not to be understood by you. He comes not to give himself to you completely, but just to give you a taste, not to fulfill your desire, but to lead you and your affections on.” —Hugh of St. Victor100”
― John R. Mabry, Growing into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism

“Whoever believes, fears. Whoever fears is humble. Whoever is humble becomes gentle. Whoever is gentle pacifies the unruly forces of desire and aggression and begins to keep the commandments. Whoever keeps the commandments is purified. Whoever is purified is illuminated. Whoever is illuminated is made a spouse of the divine Logos-Bridegroom and shares with him the bridal chamber of mysteries. —Maximos the Confessor”
― John R. Mabry, Growing into God: A Beginner's Guide to Christian Mysticism