Mystics

"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."

MURRAY BODO, O.F.M., is a Franciscan priest and member of the Franciscan Academy. The award-winning author of numerous books, including Landscape of Prayer and the best-selling Francis: The Journey and the Dream, and three books of poetry, Sing Pilgrimage and Exile, Icarus in Assisi and The Earth Moves at Midnight, Bodo has had his poems, stories and articles published in magazines and literary journals in the United States and Ireland. He resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, and spends summers in Assisi as a staff member of Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs.