Public Mystics
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Dr. Barbara Holmes describes what it means to be a “public mystic,” someone whose experience of the divine leads them to take action on behalf of others:
There is within the human spirit a source of renewal, courage, and ingenuity that equips us to fulfill our purpose here on earth. Howard Thurman refers to this powerful interiority as “the sound of the genuine within.” This deeply contemplative wellspring strengthens both individuals and entire communities as they seek freedom….
When I was growing up, most of the mystics that I was introduced to were of European lineage. Although their messages of faith, personal salvation, and the love of God continue to bless me to this day, I needed more. I needed leadership that lifted and protected the community; I wanted to see women and men who looked like me leading freedom’s charge….
In Joy Unspeakable, I refer to public mystics as leaders who embody the ineffable while attending to the ordinary, those who host the transcendent, the mystical, and the mundane while engaged in pragmatic justice-seeking acts. [1]
Spiritual director Therese Taylor-Stinson upholds Harriet Tubman as a model of a “public mystic”:
Like Mama Harriet, we must learn to embrace the ways of our ancestors, connect with the Supreme, and find the internal freedom to do our part to lead our people, our communities—the inhabitants of this planet—to freedom and a new way of being….
We can all be mystics. We should all know our mystical gifts are meant for our use in community. Our relationship with the Supreme is evidenced through our public interests in loving our neighbors. Sister Harriet is still speaking to us, along with other ancestors. Just as Harriet, in her treks to freedom, drew on many sources of the mystical to answer the sound of the genuine in herself, encouraging internal freedom in her charges as she led them to be physically free from brutal enslavement, we too must be in tune with the resources available to us today and the necessity for emotional freedom to even enjoy the rights of physical freedom. The mystical calls us to Ubuntu (“I am because we are”). That gives us the charge to become public mystics so that we may all endure…. Come with me across the bridge to freedom, and don’t forget to see and experience the beautiful falls of love, peace, beauty, and community along the way! [2]
_______________________________________________
Sara Young Jesus Calling
Jesus Calling: February 13
Peace be with you! Ever since the resurrection, this has been My watchword to those who yearn for Me. As you sit quietly, let My Peace settle over you and enfold you in My loving presence. To provide this radiant Peace for you, I died a criminal’s death. Receive My Peace abundantly and thankfully. It is a rare treasure, dazzling in delicate beauty yet strong enough to withstand all onslaughts. Wear My Peace with regal dignity. It will keep your heart and mind close to Mine.
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
John 20:19-21 NLT
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
John 14:27 NLT
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
