Credits: Image from Sancte Pater
Posted on 10/09/2010 5:56:28 AM PDT by tcg
Praised be Jesus Christ" said the joyful voice of a monk on the other end of the line. Within minutes I heard another joyful voice, Fr. Daniel Mary of Jesus Crucified, the Prior of this burgeoning monastic community in Wyoming formally called "Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary". I had another absolutely delightful conversation with this wonderful priest and spiritual father. ...
The last time we spoke, Father shared the monk's hopes to build a new monastery to house their growing young community. The artist's rendering of the 144,000 square foot French Gothic style monastery alone can send one to their knees to worship, it is so beautiful. The property will also house one of the enterprises which help the monks to be self sustaining, Mystic Monk Coffee which has grown so rapidly in popularity it has outgrown its current cramped quarters where the monks roast it, grind it and package it.
So, now the good news; on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 1:00 p.m., at an open public hearing before the Park County Board of Commissioners, the monks were given unanimous approval to proceed with the building of Mt. Carmel for America. The commissioners wanted to know whether the land will continue to be used for ranching. The monks were happy to report that it will. They intend to keep the property as a ranch as well as work the land for farming. Father Daniel Mary explained to me that with the growing resurgence of vocations to the lay brotherhood (not all monks are clerics) the Lord had already brought ranchers to the community who would help with 1,000 head of cattle that will graze on Mt. Carmel...
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
Nice!
Or is the Catholic church attempting to co-opt the Mystic wave? Makes you go hmmmmmmm.
Actually, there is plenty of mysticism in the Catholic Church. The are NOT, I repeat, NOT Gnostics. They pray, lead contemplative lives, and work hard, to support themselves. That effort yields coffee, which they sell toward that end. Or were you be tongue in cheek, and yours truly was having one of his blonde moments? ;)
It's MYstic Monk Coffee for goodness sake. Are you suggesting that we should just let this little nugget slide? I don't think so. They are cutting into the mystic universal church mantra...intentionally...for what end is the only question.
To sell coffee.
These are CATHOLIC monks. There is nothing remotely Gnostic about them.
You can call yourself anything you like..but people will only see the word Mystic. In current common understanding, Mystic is lumped into the GNOSTIC arena and Mount Carmel is highly and most currently heralded by GNOSTICS in all of their universal church teachings.
If they are indeed Catholics, why are they risking this misunderstanding? Can you explain it or are you just going to go into protectionist mode? If you go into protectionist mode, I warn you..it does not cut it with me or the millions of other Americans who understand BS-inese.
You wrote:
“You can call yourself anything you like..but people will only see the word Mystic.”
IT’S COFFEE. Only weirdos will assume the word mystic in a coffee title implies gnosticism.
“In current common understanding, Mystic is lumped into the GNOSTIC arena and Mount Carmel is highly and most currently heralded by GNOSTICS in all of their universal church teachings.”
What? Common understanding? I don’t think you know what common understanding is. You’re the ONLY ONE who is making the nutty leap to gnosticism here.
“If they are indeed Catholics, why are they risking this misunderstanding?”
There is no risk of understaning except on the part of morons who misunderstand things all the time no matter how obvious they are. Again, YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE who is assuming these people are not what they are simply because of the word ‘mystic’ in their coffee name.
Again, I have to say this: IT’S A COFFEE. Coffee. Not a religion. COFFEE. Is that sinking in yet? If you go to Mystic Mountain in Pennsylvania do you assume you’ll find Gnostics there? You’ll be sorely disappointed.
“Can you explain it or are you just going to go into protectionist mode?”
Honestly no explanation is required but one was already given. I do not think that mocking stupidity is ‘protectionist mode’. Those who think a coffee named mystic indicated gnosticism might.
“If you go into protectionist mode, I warn you..it does not cut it with me or the millions of other Americans who understand BS-inese.”
I don’t think you understand much of anything, and any warning from you on any subject is laughable.
Yep..knew you would get defensive...(I'm psychic LOL).
OK..again, call yourself anything that you like but remember..the American people are not stupid, rather they are skeptical and discerning..much more so than some would-be soicalist leaning, ruling class members would like to admit.
So I say..have at it with your precious "Mystic" Coffee..good luck with that. (Disclaimer..this poster does not believe in luck..just saying).
You wrote:
“OK..now I’m a weirdo. Stopped reading right there. LOL.”
Thanks for admitting your mistake.
“Yep..knew you would get defensive...(I’m psychic LOL).”
No, I’m not the least bit defensive. I’m just mocking stupidity.
“OK..again, call yourself anything that you like but remember..the American people are not stupid, rather they are skeptical and discerning..much more so than some would-be soicalist leaning, ruling class members would like to admit.”
No. Only stupid people would think Catholic monks are actually Gnostics because of the name of a coffee that doesn’t even HINT at anything gnostic.
“So I say..have at it with your precious “Mystic” Coffee..good luck with that. (Disclaimer..this poster does not believe in luck..just saying).”
Apparently there are many things you don’t believe in: common sense, being one of them.
Credits: Image from Sancte Pater
Perhaps this might help. The Carmelites are a contemplative order, founded in the early 13th century, when they received a formula vitae from St. Albert of Jerusalem. There are primarly two branches in the Catholic Church, Discalced Carmelites (ODC) and Carmelites of the Ancient Observence (O.Carm).
This group seems to be a different organization altogether. I happened to notice in their website that they put "M.Carm" after their names. I don't know if they are officially recognized, but I wouldn't dismiss them outright without further research.
Are Carmelites mystics? Yes. Two of the greatest Carmelite mystics were St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Avila. Does "mystic" = "gnostic"? Not necessarily. Catholic mystics are always in communion with the Church; gnostics separate themselves from the Church.
Seriously speaking, I do not use insults as a usual tactic. I am a literalist, as well as a devout Catholic, and, in truth, I like the unusual approach the monks are using to earn their keep. It’s a different take on those items one finds, for instance, the Trappist monks making in Europe. The name of the coffee is, I think, a reference to their contemplative lifestyle, and a somewhat catchy brand name. My question at the end of my comment was intended to show you that I was unsure of whether I misunderstood you, but meant well. And, likewise honestly, whether you and I agree on this particular thing, I do mean well. As odd as it may sound to others, I find the idea of a monastery in the wilds of Wyoming a neat idea.
They had better build a big green house for the coffee. Wyoming in January and Feb can be colder than a witches Ti*
Conversation over...Have a nice day.
Thank you for that helpful explanation. Although I still contend that mystics are more frequently than not associated with Gnostics in todays thinking. The push now by the universal church is to explain the mysteries in terms of a broad range of "mixed" beliefs, including those found very close to MT Carmel in the direction of Egypt...they are for the most part attributed to the Gnostics and their "influence over Jesus". Perhaps another name would lead to less confusion?
In any case. Thank you for the civil discussion.
You wrote:
“You are just plan rude and add nothing to the conversation.”
Perhaps I am rude. What I am not is grossly ignorant. I do not assume a coffee called mystic means the Christians who make it are pagans. Also, a conversation about Christian things is useless if TRUTH is not the beginning and ending principle of the conversation. You apparently don’t believe in truth for if you did you would never have made the assumptions you did.
“If you are an example of a good Catholic..”
I don’t claim to be an example of a good Catholic. And monks who make Mystic Monk Coffee are not Gnostics. That’s the simple truth. Again, you seem to have difficulty with relaity.
“I’ll eat my hat.”
You might as well because in a post or two you’ll probably claim hat wearing is a sign of Gnosticism.
“Conversation over...”
It never began. Again, a conversation about Christian things is useless if TRUTH is not the beginning and ending principle of the conversation.
“Have a nice day.”
I will. Check your java jar for Gnostics.
You wrote:
“Although I still contend that mystics are more frequently than not associated with Gnostics in todays thinking.”
Exactly WHO is doing this supposed “thinking”? I read several books on Gnosticism several years ago. Knowledge was their focus, not Christian mysticism. If you take a class on Christian mysticism, you will barely hear anything - in fact you probably won’t hear anything - about the Gnostics since they were not Christians. You will hear about St. Teresa of Avila. You will hear about Thomas a Kempis. You will hear about St. John of the Cross. Gnostics? No.
This class at Emory University on Christian Mysticism even has this as a lecture topic: “-How mysticism differs from occultism, esotericism, gnosticism and piety” http://cll.emory.edu/classes.cfm?cla=-1605317625&pt=3
Here’s a 320 page book on Christian Mysticism. The Gnostics (really their books) are mentioned ONCE in the entire book. Are you starting to get the picture? The picture is that you are seriously off base. Period.
Not only are they mystic, I have it on the greatest authority that they are part of the Vatican UFO hoax.
I'm really not impressed with your thug act. I suggest decafe, not the "Mystic" kind.
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