Into the Mystic

Taking a reading from the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Galatians, Ronnie addresses mytical experience and the Apostle's "stigmata." Ronnie says, "To be a stigmatic in Medieval time was to be a mystic. To be stigmatized today would be an act of shame and disgrace. But as understood by Paul, his stigma was a mark of legitimacy...Few of us are persecuted. Our pluralistic world may make us uncomfortable; it might offend us - but few of us - if any - carry physical scars because of Jesus - we haven’t suffered because of faith. But we know what it’s like to suffer; to be treated unfairly; to have to go in spite of the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, to oppose “a sea of troubles.” In the midst of this, to carry the mark of the Christ - to carry his stigma - is not to be ashamed on the one hand or to be Uber-spiritual on the other. It’s simply the hard knocks received while living a faithful life. These are the scars, the bumps, the bruises, and sometimes breaks received while doing what is right and surviving the wrong done unto you. Never be ashamed of such wounds."