I Believe … And I Know

Mysticism is when God's presence becomes experiential and undoubted. We can see a kind of courage and self–confidence in the mystics. That puts them in an extraordinary category. Most of us believe things because our churches tell us to believe them. We don't want to be disobedient members of the church, so we say, "I believe," as we do in the Nicene and the Apostle’s Creed. Mystics don't say, "I believe." They say, "I know." A true mystic will ironically speak with that self–confidence but, at the same time, with a kind of humility. So, when we see that combination of calm self–confidence, certitude, and humility, all at the same time, we have the basis for mysticism in general. The only things we know at any deep and real level are the things we have personally experienced. Creedal belief, however, holds onto us until we have that experience! This is an important distinction, and it is why we need creeds as well. Each generation and person cannot start at zero. –Richard Rohr

Muscle memory is a process that allows your body to remember certain motor skills and perform them without conscious effort. Faith works a lot like that—that creedal belief Rohr mentions informs our practice; that belief in practice begets an experiential faith. Treatment and recovery implore these same principles; learning and believing, often before experiencing fully the positive impact of the truths themselves, leads to success. Growth is a process. The right means lead to a desired end.