The Journey of the Mind to God

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The Journey of the Mind to God

• Bonaventure, 1217-1274

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Overview

• Mystical focused on gaining spiritual union with
  God
• Experience of oneness
• Beyond language or ordinary experience
• Assisted by reflection, images, meditation
• Not a constant experience in this life
• Taste of heaven
• Christ crucified main image

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Stages

• Seeing God through vestiges in creation
• Seeing God in vestiges in creation
• Considering God in Gods image imprinted on human
  person
• Considering God in image reformed by grace
• Considering divine unity in its name being
• Considering Trinity in its name goodness
• Rest passing over into God

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Stages 1-2

• Start with human senses most basic way of
  knowing
• See evidence of God in created world
• Beauty
• Order
• Goodness

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Stage 3

• Turn from outer focus on world to inner focus on
  self
• Human person made in image of God
• Genesis 127
• Must reflect something of Gods nature
• As through a (dim) mirror
• The mind has trinitarian structure
• Memory recalls eternity and changeless truth (cf.
  Plato)
• Intellect understands by light of truth
• Will chooses by knowledge of perfection (cf.
  Platonic forms)
• Desires what is best (made for God cf. Augustine)

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Stage 4

• This image of God has been damaged by sin
• Drawn away from God by concupiscence (disordered
  desire)
• Need grace, Christ as ladder in human form
• Affections must be healed and re-ordered
• Scripture is especially useful
• Mind becomes a house inhabited by Divine Wisdom
• Is made a daughter, spouse, and friend of God

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Stage 5

• Now the mind is ready to ascend look to God
  above
• What can one know about God? First, simply that
  God is
• Eternal
• Simple (one)
• Pure actuality (could not be anything else)
• Ground of all that exists

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Stage 6

• Goodness of God
• Trinity communion of persons
• Goodness is diffusive of itself must give
  itself away
• Dynamic, self-giving
• Cannot be solitary
• God is the highest good most self-giving
• Must be intrinsic to Gods own being
• God is love
• Vision of God possible through Christ (can now
  look at the mercy seat)
• God is joined forever with humanity in person of
  Jesus Christ (still human and divine does not
  discard his body)

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Exodus 25

• Then you shall make a mercy-seat of pure gold
  two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a
  cubit and a half its width.
• You shall make two cherubim of gold you shall
  make them of hammered work, at the two ends of
  the mercy-seat. Make one cherub at one end, and
  one cherub at the other of one piece with the
  mercy-seat you shall make the cherubim at its two
  ends.
• The cherubim shall spread out their wings above,
  overshadowing the mercy-seat with their wings.
  They shall face each other the faces of the
  cherubim shall be turned towards the mercy-seat.
• You shall put the mercy-seat on the top of the
  ark and in the ark you shall put the covenant
  that I shall give you. There I will meet you, and
  from above the mercy-seat, from between the two
  cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant, I
  will deliver to you all my commands for the
  Israelites.

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Isaiah 6

• In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord
  sitting on a throne, high and lofty and the hem
  of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in
  attendance above him each had six wings with
  two they covered their faces, and with two they
  covered their feet, and with two they flew. And
  one called to another and saidHoly, holy, holy
  is the Lord of hoststhe whole earth is full of
  his glory.

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Stage 7

• Ends in rest mystical union
• Like 6 days of creation
• Only possible through Christ crucified
• The mercy-seat above the Ark
• How to do this ascent?
• Grace, desire, prayer, God
• darkness, not clarity
• Fire consumes passions and affections
• Dynamic image of God
• Death to self, look to Christ crucified