Relational Contemplation

Christian Mysticism is More Than Just the Flight of the Alone to the Alone

Medieval image of Neoplatonic philosophers Plotinus and Porphyry (public domain).

The Christian faithstands on the recognition that God is Love. Therefore, love is the heart of all spirituality, including contemplative prayer.We are called not just to be contemplatives — we are called to berelationalcontemplatives.

Writing in the third century, the Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus had this to say about mysticism:

This...