I'm a distracted sage!

Bored at home the other night, I decided to take a few “Spiritual Types” quizzes online. You know the ones: you answer a few questions, and they tell you what kind of “spirituality” you embrace. It’s all subjective, of course, but it’s interesting nonetheless. I’ve taken a handful of such quizzes over the last couple years, and “Mystic” is usually what I end up with.

You are a Sage. You’re characterized by a thinking or “head” spirituality. You value responsibility, logic, and order. Structure and organization are important to you. What would the world be without you? Chaos, that’s what! Your favorite words include should, ought, and be prepared. What makes you feel warm and fuzzy? Tradition! Because you love words, written or spoken, you enjoy a good lecture, serious discussions, and theological reflections. Prayer for you is usually verbal. You thrive on activity and gatherings of people, such as study groups. We need sages for your clear thinking and orderly ways. You pay attention to details that others overlook. Sages make contributions to education, publishing, and theology. You often are the ones who feel a duty to serve, give, care, and share with the rest of us. On the other hand, sometimes you seem unfeeling, too intellectual, or dry.

You are a Mystic. You are very prayerful and have a close personal relationship with God. Contemplation and meditation are very much part of your life. Mysticism has deep roots in the Christian tradition, from the Transfiguration and Pentecost to eastern Christian Jesus prayer and the writings of Spanish mystics like Saint Teresa of Avila and her interior castle. Just remember to avoid the dangers of the occult and syncretism, which have led many astray. Also, remember not to be too closed in on yourself.

You are a Seeker. Seekers are people who naturally connect with God through questioning. They have a healthy skepticism that makes it easy for them to explore different opinions, understandings, and experiences of faith. They do not feel the need to accept traditional faith patterns in order to come to a lively trust in God. They do not feel that faith needs to be categorized or institutionalized in order to be real. Inconsistencies and mystery are not daunting to them, but they sometimes find it hard to recognize God in ready-made answers to questions of faith. They seek to relate to God through exploration and journey. They tend to pray with hopefulness rather than certainty in God’s response. If they were to meet God face to face, they would want to ask God questions.

This last one—You are Distracted—makes me laugh. On the test, one of the questions was, “Your friend is moving in with her boyfriend and says she doesn’t believe in marriage anymore; what do you do?” I answered, “I have better things to think about than my friend’s view on marriage.” The appropriate answer, it turns out, was “I tell my friend that I disagree with her stance and won’t be visiting her at her house until she’s married.” Depending on how I answered that question, I want from being Distracted to being, well, a healthy Christian. Here’s the summary of You are Distracted: “You are probably quite busy and have a lot on your mind, or at least you don’t have a lot of time for religion. Many of the people called by Jesus in the New Testament were like this. They were busy with their jobs, and even in the case of Saint Matthew and Saint Mary Magdalene, they were ashamed of their lives. Being distracted is all too common nowadays, but that doesn’t mean that you have to close yourself off to the charity of Christ. Still, those who never seek the source of joy remain like seeds that fell among brambles. They are choked by the shade, hidden from the sun, and never given a chance to grow.” Bleak, is it not?