Jan van Ruysbroeck was a spiritual writer who lived in Belgium in the fourteenth century (1294-1381). Jan maintained that the proper way to find God is to seek him within us, teaching that the way to God is not the way of philosophy, but the way of contemplation.
Ruysbroeck lived in a time of social and political upheaval. The year 1347 brought the outbreak of the "Black Death", the plague which ravaged Europe, killing thirty million people in its wake. That same year also saw the beginning of the Hundred Years War between England and France. From then on hungry armies roamed the countryside, plundering farmsteads as well as cities, reducing most people to poverty and famine.
Brabant, Ruysbroeck's native land, experienced a number of severe famines, one of which led to a bloody uprising of the tenant farmers against their landlords. It was a time of suffering and death; but also a time of opportunity for ambitious men. Many a merchant became rich by trading with the right partners. Many a local leader increased his power by joining the winning side.
Ruysbroeck, who had been ordained a priest in 1317, devoted twenty-six years of his life to the apostolate in the city of Brussels. Then, in 1343, he withdrew with two companions to a hermitage in the Forest of Soignes near Groenendaal. It was there, in the seclusion of his small monastery, that he composed most of his eleven spiritual books. But he remained active as a counsellor. Many came to ask for his advice; he travelled from time to time to give retreats and courses.
Though Ruysbroeck was a mystic, he worked tirelessly for the welfare of people. His advice was earthy and specific. With the severity of a prophet he condemned, in graphic detail, the shortcomings of those in authority, even clergy and religious. The poor and the hungry always found shelter with him, including the birds. In his writings, too, he always stressed the need for practical love. It is only when a person has begun to practise the virtues and shows forth works of mercy, that he can ascend higher on the path to God.
In fact, for Ruysbroeck mysticism and commitment to a better world go hand in hand. They are the systolic and diastolic pressures of the spiritual heart-beat, the breathing in and the breathing out which together make life possible.
"The Spirit of God blows out from us so that we can love and perform good acts.
Then he draws us into ourselves so that we can take rest and find enjoyment in him.
This is eternal life: not unlike our breathing the air out of our lungs and breathing in fresh air.
What I mean is: we move inwardly in a mystical enjoyment
and move outwardly in good works, both in communion with God.
Just as we open our eyes, look and then close them again, in such a smooth transition that we hardly notice what we are doing, so we die in God and live out of God, always remaining united to him."
Jan van Ruysbroeck, The Spiritual Tabernacle, vol. 2.
