The Theme of "Le Point Vierge" in the Writings of Louis Massignon
by Dorothy C. Buck
given at
Louis Massignon: The Vocation of a Scholar
Conference at Notre Dame University October 2-5, 1997
Published in "Louis Massignon: au coeur de notre temps",1999.
Éditions Karhala, Paris, France
Louis Massignon was not only a brilliant and distinguished professor and scholar,
but also a man of deep religious conviction. His vast collection of published
works is therefore uniquely informed by his own spiritual experience and particular
quest for the Divine. Contemporary spiritual writers suggest that it is in the
nature of human beings to search for ultimate meaning in their lives. Those
drawn to a Christian religious vocation feel called into relationship with God,
themselves, and others in a life-long conversion experience. Louis Masignon's
unusual call to a religious quest began to take shape in Egypt in 1907 when
he found himself drawn to a sentence in a book by Attar called, Memorial
of the Saints, about a tenth century Muslim mystic, known as al-Hallaj,
who was crucified in Baghdad for having loved God. The following year in Iraq,
in the midst of the Muslim world, Massignon had a conversion experience, a new
awareness, that led him to embrace the Roman Catholic Church. He was convinced
that it was Hallaj who brought him to Baghdad and that his miraculous experience
was partially due to the intercession of the Sufi mystic/martyr of Islam. His
scholarship for the next fifty years was devoted to meticulously searching for
sources of the saint's life and mystical doctrine. Simultaneously, he struggled
with the meaning of his own conversion experience. He wrote:
"How I suffered when God converted me. Because I experienced that it was my
whole life that He wished for Himself, and that not one of my actions would
escape His visible Order, the Church....."(Petit p. 91)
Just as his linguistic talent and keen intelligence informed his scholarship,
so it also produced an erudite religious thinker.
It is in the context of Massignon's life experience that the theme of Le Point
Vierge, which I call the Virgin Heart, becomes more and more central in his
writings. His career in the French military was influenced by his reputation
as an Arab scholar, and his involvement in the Muslim world increased as he
pursued his search for primary sources for his understanding of al-Hallaj. In
studying the writings of any of the mystics, such as the great Roman Catholic
Carmelite Saints, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, or Thérèse
of Lisieux, we take the risk of being transformed by them. It is difficult to
separate Massignon's vocation as a scholar from his own religious quest as he
discovered the writings of Hallaj on religious philosophy, as well as his mystical
doctrine, which were rooted in Hallaj's own intense experience of his God. Massignon
himself understood his research as a relationship to the Islamic mystic. He
found the primary source for the theme of The Virgin Heart in the context of
the mystical doctrine of al-Hallaj.
"In 858 C.E. the Sufi mystic al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj was born in Persia.
In 922 C.E. he was accused of violating Islamic law and after imprisonment and
torture he was executed for blasphemy. The legend of this mystic/martyr of Islam
has been kept alive throughout the muslim world in ritual and prayer. Persian
and Turkish mystical poets have told and retold his story in diverse literary
forms, and the poet Rumi used Hallajian themes. Members of Sufi orders today
refer to al-Hallaj as a true disciple of divine love. In his travels as a mendicant
preacher and spiritual master, Hallaj tried to lead his followers more deeply
into his understanding of the reality of the human soul as finding its ultimate
meaning in seeking unity in the divine." (Buck 1996 p.63) He writes:
"Our hearts are one single Virgin, which the dream of no dreamer can penetrate
.... Which only the presence of the Lord penetrates in order to be conceived
therein."(Massignon 1989 p. 133)
The Virgin Heart refers to the secret place in the center of the human soul
where God alone has access. Hallaj envisions the core of all human hearts as
one, where the human and the Divine meet, unified and untouched by anything
except the seed planted by God's love.
In his reflections and teachings Hallaj keeps the notion of the human heart
expressed in the Koran under the heading of the "Science of Hearts". The heart
is the human organ prepared by God for contemplation. It is in our hearts that
our conscience is formed and there that we know and are conscious. It is in
our hearts that we experience the sacred. Hallaj reaches beyond the Koran in
expressing his mystical experience of the Science of Hearts. He writes:
"The final covering of the heart, inside the nafs, which means the self,
whose appetite is lustful, is the sirr, or latent personality, deep subconscious,
or secret cell, walled up [and hidden] to every creature, the inviolable
virgin." (Massignon 1983 p.19)
To Hallaj, The Virgin Heart is God's secret holy place at the core of each of
us which "remains forever whole and intact whether we are rich or poor, educated
or illiterate, worthy or not, and regardless of our fear and pain, self-defeating
habits or ungracious thoughts and desires." (Buck 1994-95 p.8) The mystery of
The Virgin Heart is a call to recognize the Transcendent in our midst and overcome
our illusions of power and control. Hallaj writes:
"God makes Himself explicit through everything which is perceived and considered;
everything that one sees face to face signifies Him. And this is why I have
said: I have seen nothing in which I have not seen God." (Massignon 1983, Vol.lll
p.68)
Through years of contemplating Hallaj's mystical doctrine and the meaning of
The Virgin Heart, Massignon realized how this theme is a connecting link to
many others. His reflections on The Virgin Heart were incorporated into his
major writings, lectures, and extensive correspondence and became an integral
part of his own on-going spiritual conversion. When he "crossed over" into relationship
with his Muslim friends he discovered that his own Christian religious experience
was enhanced rather than threatened or diminished. He called this engagement
with the Muslim community, "sacred hospitality".
Massignon's writing is filled with Biblical and Koranic images. He describes
God as a Stranger who visits unexpectedly like the three angels who visit Abraham
in Genesis 18. Abraham's hospitality to these strangers who bring messages from
God is a key to understanding Massignon's emphasis on Sacred Hospitality. When
he became a third order Franciscan in 1931 he took the religious name, Abraham,
identifying in spirit with the great patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. Massignon sees in the biblical story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice
his son Isaac out of faithfulness to God a parallel in the sacrifice of Jesus,
and in the desire of Hallaj to die as a witness to God's compassion for the
soul of humanity. Standing at the center of Massignon's vision of these three
Abrahamic religions is the Virgin Mary, the young Jewish girl whose "yes" to
God reminds us that God can relate only to the virginal found in the heart of
the human soul.
It was Massignon's character to be deeply moved by life and particularly by
the stories of human beings. He seems to have understood his own religious vocation
as profoundly connected to human relationships. As his scholarly research plumbed
the depths of these connecting themes and images his views of the world expanded,
leading him to live out his convictions through social action. Imaging God as
the stranger who comes to our door begging for food and shelter, or the refugee
who struggles to speak our language, or the poor and marginalized in our society,
Massignon envisions Mary, who was also an outcast in her society. She represents
the sacred hospitality in the center of every human soul that welcomes the stranger
God.
Massignon struggled for the "right of asylum" for Muslim refugees in France
experiencing them with compassion as friends and religious brothers because
of their common heritage through Abraham and Mary. His writings have influenced
the course of contemporary interreligous dialogue and his passion for God led
to his increasing compassion for all human beings, the effect of deep reflection
on the meaning of The Virgin Heart.
"In 1959, the trappist monk, Thomas Merton began a correspondence with Massignon.
Both men were seekers of the mystical aspects of diverse religious traditions.
Merton was drawn to Massignon's increasing activism as a witness for non-violence
and was intrigued by the theme of The Virgin Heart."( Buck 1996 p.63) As a result
of his own reflections and correspondence with Massignon he writes:
"At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by
sin and illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely
to God....this little point....is the pure glory of God in us.... It is like
a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody."(Merton
1965 p.158)
Massignon expands his vision of The Virgin Heart suggesting that by "providing
hospitality to God in our hearts we enter the path toward mystical union and
thereby risk becoming witnesses, and even outlaws, as did Hallaj. He speaks
of a secret place in each human soul that we cannot betray because God alone
has access to its hospitality. He calls it "the last virginal point"; our last
point of honor as human beings."(Buck 1995-96 p.8)
The images of the Virgin Heart in the writings of Massignon, Hallaj and Merton
contain important contemporary messages. My own reflections begin with Massignon's
vision of the Annunciation as the core of Christian faith and belief. When the
Angel of the Lord announces to Mary that she will be overshadowed by the Holy
Spirit and bear a son she answers "yes" despite her fear and lack of understanding.
The ultimate manifestation of Massignon's sacred hospitality is the divine Guest
seeking hospitality in the center of every human soul. It is out of that unconscious
depth that Mary answers "yes" to God and becomes a witness to the deeper meaning
of the Virgin Heart.
Believing in the Virgin Heart leads me to a conversion experience that calls
for my own "yes" to God despite my fear and lack of understanding. My conversion
experience changes my relationships and opens my heart to others in true compassion
and hospitality. I risk changing my habitual way of seeing the world, of making
artificial distinctions between people of different nationalities, races or
beliefs. And I risk waking up to my desire for communion, connection, and allowing
love itself to transform my vision. I can no longer pass by homeless people
as though they do not exist, nor can I make any distinction between those who
have wealth, education, or position and those who do not. I can no longer deny
that I too am homeless, a refugee, and a victim of social and political injustice.
"To believe in the mystery of the Virgin Heart is to believe in a secret place
in every human soul where the sacred is given to us despite our unworthiness,
failures, and human limitations. That place cannot be touched by anything I
do, yet it calls me to transcend myself and see others as they are, as sacred."
(Buck 1996 p.79)
"Today, in this moment we have an opportunity as human beings to recognize the
sacred meaning of hospitality and the overwhelming responsibility we have as
guests when we enter the homes and lives of others anywhere in the world." (Buck
1995-96 p.8) For when we know the sacredness hidden in the depth of every human
soul, how can we refuse anyone hospitality in our homes or pass by an opportunity
to treat others with compassion?
"In the midst of an increasingly violent culture world-wide the image of the
Virgin Heart reminds us of the penetration of Grace in the symbol of a woman
who makes the choice to carry and give birth to the child of God. Unmarried,
against the social norms of her time, unprotected by the strict laws for women,
Mary listened to her spiritual intuition and obeyed the truth of her own inner
voice. Massignon suggests that she stands for the marginalized in our society,
men and women of color, welfare mothers, the homeless, the mentally ill and
disabled, the immigrant and the refugee, the elderly, our inner city ghettos,
and all who are victims of inequality and injustice. Mary represents the Virgin
Heart in our midst. Her truth is our truth, her transformation the hope for
our own, her child each one of us, and her power the very power of God. The
Virgin Heart is a song to Mary, full of Grace, who symbolizes for us the blessedness
of our children, the hope of the next generation who must save our planet and
our environment, and who are burdened with the domestic violence in our homes
and the battles on our city streets."(Buck 1994-95 p.5,6)
To recognize the sacredness of life and of every human being, regardless of
their differences, means to be capable of recognizing oneself in everyone "in
an overstretched trial of painful love,"writes Massignon, "in a hypertension
of self for mental identification with the other's need; when one cannot help
him except by sharing, mentally, so poorly his pain. By tears, if one cannot
afford blood___ by the burning of his hunger, if one's breast cannot give him
the milk of human kindness. Tears and blood, milk and fire are the means of
the housekeeping, of the immemorial rite of hospitality and the rite of asylum."
(Massignon 1983 III p. 162.)
In the Koran, Mary's "yes" is also revered as a "testimony to God's Lordship
in the Day of the Covenant" (Koran 7:172) For Muslims, the Annunciation takes
place before the dawn of creation. Before the world was born there was a resounding
response of "yes" to God. The secret of the mystery of the Annunciation is the
inheritance of both Muslims and Christians revealed in the virginal heart of
Mary, whose "yes" to God was offered for the salvation of all of humanity. She
becomes a link to our Muslim brothers and sisters and provides an opportunity
for dialogue and understanding between these two communities whose painful history
continues to need reconciliation and healing. Our world is still torn apart
by religious division.
Massignon's passionate response was to meticulously search for the sources of
religious experience and the roots of compassion. There he discovers the God
of Abraham who is possessive, persevering, and passionate in His love for all
of us. Massignon reminds us that Abraham's God was first revealed to the Jewish
people among whom we find the young Mary, who Massignon calls "a daughter of
Abraham". He also insists that we remember the Koranic vision of the one God
of Abraham as that of all three monotheistic traditions. Out of the depth of
his understanding of the Virgin Heart he invites us to allow a compassionate
God to transform us. To set us free to negotiate, reconcile, and heal our divisions
by accepting, respecting, and loving our differences, rather than fearing them
and feeling threatened. Then I will see the free gift of the Divine in others
as "a pure diamond blazing in the light of heaven". When I fully acknowledge
the truth of the Virgin Heart and contemplate the richness of its meaning, I
catch a glimmer of the mystical experience of Hallaj who writes:
"My soul is mixed and joined together with your soul and every accident that
injures you injures me." (Massignon 1983 Vol.II p.426)
References
1. Buck, D. 1996 (summer edition). The Heart of the Soul in The Quest,
Wheaton, IL.:The Theosophical Society in America.
2. ______1994-95 (winter edition) Mary and the Virgin Heart: A Reflection
on the Writings of Louis Massignon and Hallaj, in SUFI, London, England.
3. ______ 1995-96 (winter edition) Mary and the Virgin Heart: A Reflection
on the Writings of Louis Massignon and Hallaj, Part 2 The Visitation
in SUFI, London, England.
4. Petit, J. 1973. Claudel - Massignon (1908-1914) . In Les Grandes Correspondences.
Collection dirigée par J. Petit. Desclée De Brouwer.
5. Massignon, L. 1983. Vol.II and III. The Passion of al-Hallaj: Mystic and
Martyr. Translated by H. Mason. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
6. __________ 1989. Testimonies and Reflections: Essays of Louis Massignon.
Selected and introduced by H. Mason. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame
Press.
7. Merton,T. 1968. Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander. New York: Doubleday
Image Books.
Translations:
"Comme j'ai souffert, quand Dieu m'a converti! Car j'ai éprouvé
que c'était toute ma vie qu'Il voulait à Lui, et qu'aucun de mes
actes n'échappait à son Ordre visible, l'Eglise..." LM