Ramona Harris is a spiritual director, adjunct college counselor, lecturer, and faculty member of the Stockton Diocesan Adult School of Ministry. In this reverent book, she pays tribute to the devotion and spirituality of 52 Christian mystics from ancient and modern times.
On these pages you will find men and women talking with God, feeling at one with others, rejoicing in the many blessings of their lives, surrendering again and again to the Divine Lover, seeing the world with fresh eyes, opening their hearts to the beauty of nature, savoring the grace that has set them free, and growing in love, peace, and joy. Harris has themed each of the quotations, provided a brief reflection on them, and added a brief biographical note at the end. Here is a sampler of a few of our favorites which we find very inspiring:
The stars,
the one trillion galaxies,
the sun and the moon,
the mountains and waters
and forests and fish,
all have
their sacred and revelatory story to share.
— Matthew Fox
For one with a deep-rooted faith in the value and meaning of life,
every experience holds a new promise,
every encounter carries a new insight
and every event brings a new message.
— Henri Nouwen
Humility is the basis
for every devotion
and the root of every tree
that is to bear fruit.
— Francisco de Osuna
God is bending over us
with all his love,
day and night
longing to communicate with us,
to infuse his divine life into us
so as to make us into deified beings
who radiate him everywhere.
— Elizabeth of the Trinity
Inspiration is a heavenly ray
that brings into our hearts
a warm light
that makes us the good,
and fires us on
to its pursuit.
— Francis de Sales
