John Kirvan is the author of the Ave Maria Thirty Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher series, a collection of fourteen books that offer the wisdom of the mystics for daily meditation. In this excellent resource, ten mystics from Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions inspire us to explore "a love-driven way of knowing God." Each chapter includes an epigram or meditation-provoking passage from the writings of the teacher, a reading on the life of the mystic and the world around him or her, and five experiences for the soul designed to introduce the three classic prayer forms of western spirituality — mantras, meditations, and short intercessory prayers. This combination of material provides the ways and the means to draw out the mystic in us all.
This paperback contains the following sections: C. S. Lewis on longing, Thomas Merton on looking, Rumi on home, Ramon Lull on foolishness, Gregory of Nyssa on more, Francis of Assisi on dying, Angelus Silesius on unknowing, the Kabbalah on Ayin (nothingness), Hildegard of Bingen on passion, and Evelyn Underhill on resurrection.
John Kirvan is convinced that these mystic companions can help us stay focused, honest, and humble. Best of all, they can "keep us from settling for too little when we have been offered so much."
