Any suggestions for my next spiritual reading?

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Hello all,
I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for my next spiritual reading. I am trying to focus on the mystics for now and want to try and experience a wide range of mystical approaches. I’ve already read:

Theresa of Avila (current reading)
Therese of Liseux
Julian of Norwich
Ignatius of Loyola (didn’t specifically write about mysticism, but his journals contain some)
Catherine of Genoa
Faustina Kowalska (I’ve read some, but never got through the entire journals)
Bernard of Clairvaux

I’m looking for something new. Any mystic with a unique perspective would be very welcome.

Thanks,
Br. Ben, CRM
 
City of God by Bl. Maria de Agreda. It’s a four-volume set and you can get it between $50-$150 used. You can preview it here. Some parts of it, you can read ten or twenty chapters in a sitting. Other parts of it-- like “how the virtues of Mary could be symbolized by the stones in the High Priest’s Breastplate”-- you have to force yourself to turn the page. Maria de Agreda was very prominent in New Mexico/Texas Catholic history-- she was a cloistered nun in Spain who was responsible for the instruction and conversion of various tribes in the Southwest, and had encouraged them (in their own language) to approach the local Franciscans for further instruction and Baptism. All while she was in her cloister in Spain. 🙂

Also enjoyable, The Life and Revelations of St Gertrude the Great. That one, I found myself opening it to a random chapter and reading an interesting bit. It would give me a lot to chew on. I really need to read it properly, from front to back-- but it has so many thought-provoking bits, it’s not the sort of thing you read in one sitting. I really liked the translation by her community; I haven’t tried comparing it to previous translations.
OUR LORD revealed that the place on earth where He most delighted to be, after the Blessed Sacrament, was “in the heart and soul of Gertrude, My beloved.” Therefore, we do not wonder that among all the most remarkable women Saints of the Church, St. Gertrude is the one who carries the extraordinary title The Great.

The Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great form one of the classics of Catholic writing. And although they would have to be classified as “mystical literature,” their message is clear and obvious, for this book states many of the secrets of Heaven in terms that all can understand.

Recorded here are St. Gertrude’s many conversations with Our Lord, wherein He reveals His great desire to grant mercy to souls and to reward the least good act. In the course of their conversations, He reveals wonderful spiritual “shortcuts” that will help everyone in his or her spiritual life. Moreover, the Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great actually open a window onto Heaven, where we can see the specific ways in which prayer, good works and liturgical celebrations on earth have very definite effects in Heaven-among the Saints and Angels and even with God Himself.

The Revelations of St. Gertrude were authorized by Our Lord (pp.536-537) and they have been published in many editions, in various languages; they have inspired both clergy and laity for centuries. Surely the present generation of English-speaking Catholics will profit equally from this new edition of The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great, who found such high favor with Our Lord that He chose to dwell in her heart in a special manner and to reveal to her many of the intimate secrets of His supernatural love for soul.
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+1

I was about to suggest this. I am reading it myself and do it in small chunks. Reads almost like a Rule one can live by.

Cardinal Sarah is amazing.
 
Have you read anything about the Desert Fathers and Mothers?

Off the top of my head:

St. Gregory of Nyssa
Bonaventure
The Cloud of Unknowing by Anonymous
Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Showings by Julian of Norwich
The Philokalia
 
Neither of the two I’m going to suggest are officially approved (though hopefully someday!) so they’re not for everybody, but I enjoyed The Way of Divine Love by Sister Josefa Menendez and the Autobiography of Marcel Van. If genuine, both were mystics. Sister Josefa’s work is sort of a forerunner to the Diary of St. Faustina. There’s a lot about mercy and God’s Love for souls, and the passages about the Eucharist are especially beautiful. Marcel Van is just incredible. He was a Redemptorist Brother who died in a Communist prison camp in North Vietnam, but his whole life is a testimony to trusting God through hard times. He is considered the spiritual brother of St. Therese of Lisieux, so a lot of his writing also has to do with spiritual childhood.

I just thought I’d mention them since I personally believe them and find them so inspiring. But the jury is still out on these two.
 
St. Gemma Galgani. I think I’ve recommended her like 12000 times on this site haha but her diary is really good!
 
+1000% ✋✋ I was going to suggest The Mystical City of God, too!! It’s an absolute treasure to any Catholic wanting to learn more about and grow closer to Our Blessed Mother!

On a side note: I purchased the 4 volume set in paperback and it was worth every penny. A few years later, at our Parish Rummage sale, I found a complete set in hardbound for $1 per book, totaling $4!! I almost fell over!!

Peace.

+JMJ+
 
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Woah! What a great find! 💓

Bl. Solanus Casey used to be a giant promoter of Agreda’s Mystical City of God. He would read the whole thing through every year!
 
I’m reading “Abandonment to Divine Providence” right now by Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, and so far it’s great! Entrusting everything to God would be a perfect reading topic for Lent too (granted, it’s great for any time of the year)!
 
I recommend “Padre Pio A true story expanded edition” by ruffin Bernard. I admit this wasn’t written by Pio himself. The writer did a great job though of sticking to the facts. He did a great job and I recommend it. Fascinating story.
 
Divine Mercy In My Soul by St. Mary Faustina. I’m only around page 80 or so, but I can’t get enough of it. It only makes me wish I had 3:00 free every day so I could pray the Divine Mercy chaplet at the recommended time.
 
Padre Pio - hes fascinating, i;ve learned so much about God from him
 
@simonjosiah1 Pio is…if there is another book about Pio you liked, love to hear it.
 
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i’m not sure what its called but there is one out there with all his miracles in it, just a book dedicated to all his miracles - fascinating
 
I’m surprised by your list of mystics that you never added one of the greatest. Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross. He was a mystic but a unique one in the sense that he believed the greatest mystical experience isn’t seeing God but to feel him in ones soul. He felt that people can see things they want to see but that the the inner experience of God is the most powerful. Also it’s only 100 pages. 😉
 
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Have a look at some Thomas Merton. Seven Storey Mountain is very motivational but there are more directly mystical books like Seeds of Contemplation.
 
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