We read the mystics for the same reason we read the Bible, because we find there an articulation of intimacy with God. Abraham and Moses have experiences of God; the writers of Genesis and Exodus relate the experiences. The prophets experience God; their prophecies find words to express that experience. We read the prophets to learn what God told them. But we also read, hoping, through them, to have a vicarious experience of God.—From the Introduction Christianity is a mysterious faith. Some of these mysteries can be described with Scripture or doctrine, but others can only be experienced. Those graced with these experiences, these intimate glimpses of God, are called mystics. Father Bodo's sensitive guidance leads us into the heart of what these mystics have expressed about God and how their insight can deepen our own experience of the divine. With guides ranging from Mary, the mother of Jesus, to Francis of Assisi, to Gerard Manley Hopkins, centuries of mystical insights invite us to experience for ourselves the boundless mystery of God. Includes: Mary St. Francis of Assisi Jacopone Da Todi Julian of Norwich St. Catherine of Siena St. John of the Cross St. Terese of Lisieux Gerard Manley Hopkins Simone Weil Robert Lax Read Less