This is the first in a series called TURNING TO THE MYSTICS, which James Finley originally offered as a webinar over several years with the Center for Action and Contemplation. This initial volume focuses on one figure, Thomas Merton—both as the most contemporary, the one who actually served as Finley’s mentor as Novice Master at the Abbey of Gethsemani, and the one with whom Finley is closely identified by his previous writings. Each subsequent volume will focus on two Christian mystics, offering not a comprehensive introduction to their thought, but through Lectio Divina, a close meditative reading of selected texts, to explore what is both universal and particular in their particular vision.
