John of Ruusbroec

Living in the Divine Encounter

Life

This native of Brabant lived in and near Brussels from 1293 to 1381. At about 25 years of age he was ordained a priest, after which he was active in pastoral work in the church of Sint Goedele until he was about fifty. During the final years of this period, he formed a small contemplative community together with his uncle John Hinckaert and the canon Vranke of Coudenberg. In 1343, they retreated to a hermitage in the Sonian Forest to continue their life in brotherhood. This hermitage quickly grew and it became necessary to choose a clearer structure. In 1349, Groenendaal therefore joined the canons regular of Saint Augustine. In Brussels, Ruusbroec had already written five mystical works, among which his masterpiece, Die gheestelike brulocht (The Spiritual Espousals). Later, he wrote another six works and a number of letters. To the present day, Ruusbroec is a high point in Dutch mystical literature, and he had a clear influence on its specific character. Translated into Latin and other languages, his works had a profound influence on the entire mystical tradition of Europe for many centuries.

First Encounter

Contemplative Life

In often quite beautiful ways, Ruusbroec described the process of encounter in love. He descanted on its essentially dialogical structure in all kinds of ways. Encounter is fundamentally always encounter with God. In love, the human being develops his deepest essence and shares in the mutual love of the Trinity. Ruusbroec sketched this dynamic process in (among other works) Vanden blinckenden steen (The Sparkling Stone), which was written between 1340 and 1343 as a representation of a conversation with a hermit who wanted to know more about contemplative life.

Vocation

Relationship is only possible if the human being takes the hazardous step towards the other in trust. Although we are often paralyzed by fear and anxiety, we are not doomed to remain imprisoned in ourselves. Deep within ourselves, we experience the possibility and the invitation to step outside ourselves. The other frightens us, but does not stop being attractive to us. It is in this field of tension that the human being is born. Love is not a natural phenomenon, not an instinct, but an art that has to be learned step by step. Love is not something that I ‘do’ and that lies within my power, but a path that opens up.

Attention for the Other

Love attaches itself to the other himself, and no longer to other things outside of him that might impede the view of him. I myself am no longer in the center of my experience of love; the other is the exclusive center. All attention is focused on him. Nothing comes between us anymore. Love itself, as something that ‘happens’, is the only thing between us, but now no longer as something that divides but as something that connects.

Abyss of God

Love only reaches true fullness through mystical death. I have been completely stripped of everything of my ‘own’. In complete self-oblivion, I am entirely absorbed in the relationship with the other. The other is no longer made to fit in with me; rather, I enter into the infinite space of the other. In me, the other can love himself in his own way. I am lost in God, where I lose myself in a singular, open-minded stare into divine clarity. The final vestiges of myself in my love are swallowed up in the unfathomable abyss of God’s love.

Texts

[Titel alinea]

[Tekst]

[Titel alinea]

[Tekst]

[Titel alinea]

[Tekst]

Anthology

Bibliographical data

Titel:
Auteur:
Redacteur:
Vertaler:
Jaar:
Plaats:
Uitgever:
Gepubliceerd in:[in geval van publicatie in tijdschrift. (Met vermelding van jaar, jaargang, reeksnr. enz.)]
ISBN:XX-XXX-XXXX-X
DOI:Zenodo

Summary

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Titel 1

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Titel 2

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Titel 3

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Download

? MB
(fixed PDF for print)
? MB
(refloatable epub 3.0)
Ondersteund door:

Op dit boek is een Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licentie van toepassing (CC BY).

In-Depth

[Titel artikel]

Bibliographical data

Titel:
Auteur:
Redacteur:
Vertaler:
Jaar:
Plaats:
Uitgever:
Gepubliceerd in:[in geval van publicatie in tijdschrift. (Met vermelding van jaar, jaargang, reeksnr. enz.)]
ISBN:XX-XXX-XXXX-X
DOI:Zenodo

Summary

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Titel 1

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Titel 2

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Titel 3

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Download

? MB
(fixed PDF for print)
? MB
(refloatable epub 3.0)
Ondersteund door:

Op dit boek is een Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licentie van toepassing (CC BY).

[Titel boek]

Bibliographical data

Titel:
Auteur:
Redacteur:
Vertaler:
Jaar:
Plaats:
Uitgever:
Gepubliceerd in:[in geval van publicatie in tijdschrift. (Met vermelding van jaar, jaargang, reeksnr. enz.)]
ISBN:XX-XXX-XXXX-X
DOI:Zenodo

Table of contents

Voorwoord

  1. Hoofdstuk 1
    1. Paragraaf 1
    2. Paragraaf 2
  2. Hoofdstuk 2
    1. Paragraaf 1
    2. Paragraaf 2
  3. Hoofdstuk 3
  4. Hoofdstuk 4
  5. Hoofdstuk 5

    6. Bibliografie

Download

? MB
(fixed PDF for print)
? MB
(refloatable epub 3.0)
Ondersteund door:

Op dit boek is een Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licentie van toepassing (CC BY).