A evening in my life

Hi All,

I just wanted to post a quick reflection I did for two Christian Mysticism readings I just did as an example of the type of work I do on a weekly basis for classes I have never before posted an assignment I have done. So it goes as a first one!

Readings 13.2 and 13.3
These are both great readings in my opinion. Just putting that out there. I really enjoyed these readings. To begin with reading 13.2 from Clairvaux, I believe this is our second reading from Clairvaux this semester. I found it interesting how Clairvaux choose to structure this around the four degrees of love. Additionally, I found it interesting that out of all the parts they could include in this book the section they took was from the fourth chapter, "Man Loves Himself For The Sake of God". When one takes a minute to think about loving himself for the sake of God alone gives a new meaning to life. Two of the passages that struck me for various reasons are as follows. "When will this sort of affection be felt that, inebriated with divine love, the mind may forget itself and be come in its own eyes like a broken dish hastening towards God". This quote stuck out to me because I liked how Clairvaux describes the experience as becoming inebriated with the divine love. From what I hear the experience of being inebriated is a very powerful experience. Also the analogy to the mind forgetting itself and becoming like a broken dish was
an interesting way to think about it that I have not thought of before. The second quote I have found interesting is, "For it is impossible to assemble all these and turn them toward God's face as long as the care of this weak and wretched body keeps one busy to the point of distraction".
For the second reading it was also at least our second time reading Eckhart. Maybe it is just because I am a Nonprofit Leadership Studies major but I have always enjoyed the analogy to/relationship to poverty in both ways that Eckhart discusses at the beginning of this selection of Sermon 52. The one quote that I really found interesting was after he gives the definition Bishop
Albert has of poverty and then Eckhart says, "A poor person is one who wants nothing, knows nothing and has nothing. We shall speak of these three points". I like this definition. I think that it is simple and really powerful. I like how it says that a poor person is one who wants nothing and desires nothing. It is certainly interesting to meditate upon that.

Have a great evening!

 Cool sunrise looking out over the edge of campus :)