Evelyn Underhill, b. 1875 d. 1941 Mystic and writer “It seems so much easier in these days to live morally than to live beautifully. Lots of us manage to exist for years without ever sinning against society, but we sin against loveliness every hour of the day.” Evelyn Underhill [aka Mrs. Hubert Stuart Moore] was a British mystic, an Anglican writer on mysticism and prayer. This begs the question: what is a mystic? Some people make a distinction between Eastern mysticism, with its emphasis on emptying and nothingness, and Christian mysticism, rooted in the God of the Bible. So, let’s for a moment try to define mysticism. It’s not simply ecstatic visions, which some of the mystics have experienced. I’m relying here on Justo Gonzalez, author of The Story of Christianity. In vol. 2, he writes of the mystics as an alternative to all the rule-keeping that the Church so loves, the lists of do’s and don’t’s. The mystic believes that all one must do is to love God; everything will follow from that. That’s the most simple way to say it. Mystics sometimes do get so caught up in God and the love of/for God that they enter visions. This is not easy to answer, so I turned to one of the wise women in my church for help. She reminded me that on the day of Pentecost, Peter was preaching and quoted the prophet Joel: Acts 2:17. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” This sounds as if anyone can be a mystic, which I think is true. A mystic is someone perceiving God’s will, sometimes through the dreams and visions that Joel promised. A mystic is aware of being truly directed by God and has experienced God’s touch. Mysticism could be defined as a breaking through, an awakening, experiencing the divine, being touched by God. Mystics see visions. If they talked about what they saw, they would probably be thought of as psychotic. Some of the famous mystics of the medieval period did go into trances and see visions. Those of you who know me are aware that Julian of Norwich is my favorite mystic. When she was 30, she had a series of 16 visions that lasted during her illness (for which she had prayed!). She called them revelations of divine love, but I have to say, some of them are about the crucifixion, and really gory. Getting back to Underhill: she was an only child, with no children of her own. Her father and husband were lawyers. She attended King’s College for Women in London, studying botany and history. She was interested in Catholicism, but her 1907 marriage ended that. Her husband—apparently like many men of the time—objected, thinking that the intimacy of the confessional could affect their marriage. Also, there had been a papal encyclical condemning modernism, and Underhill couldn’t accept that position. While busy with the life of a barrister's daughter and wife, including entertaining and charitable work, she also pursued a daily regimen that included writing, research, worship, prayer and meditation. She believed that all of life was sacred; we call that a sacramental view of the incarnation. Because Jesus took on flesh, our flesh is likewise sacred. She began publishing books and articles in her thirties, including three linked novels. Her masterpiece is Mysticism, published in 1911. From 1929 until 1932 she was religion editor at The Spectator. She also wrote and published poetry, was a retreat leader and lecturer. And she was a bookbinder! She was the first woman invited to lecture on theology at Oxford University, and the first woman to conduct a retreat in Canterbury Cathedral. She was also the first woman to lecture to the clergy in the Church of England. Big idea: contemplative prayer is for all, not just nuns and monks. Where Underhill struck new ground was in her insistence that this state of union produced a glorious and fruitful creativeness, so that the mystic who attains this final perfectness is the most active doer – not the reclusive dreaming lover of God. My wise friend says, “I think life is a mystical experience. So often we don’t ‘see’ it. I think many of our explorers, scientists, teachers, authors might be called mystics if we use the term loosely. They-we, need to have a vision.” I think a mystic is simply one who pays great attention to life, is aware of the movement of God. Poets often are mystics—read William Black, read Mary Oliver. Read Ross Gay’s Book of Delights! Closing Prayer: O God, Origin, Sustainer, and End of all creatures: Grant that your church, taught by your servant Evelyn Underhill, may continually offer to you all glory and thanksgiving, and attain with your saints to the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have promised us by our Savior Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen. This link will get you to the service of Noonday Prayer on Evelyn Underhill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTqv5FrdZkg
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Saints Alive!
I have been privileged to offer Noonday Prayer at my church, usually on Thursdays, which doesn’t matter because it’s on Youtube forever. [It’s amazing what can be done with a smartphone and a smart, helpful parish administrator!] The service is brief, with a place for a meditation. We usually look at the Episcopal calendar of saints, who are nearly always honored on their death dates, not their birth dates. Here is a hymn by medieval saint Hildegard of Bingen to set the mood.
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