If you've ever wondered about the mystical writers, but found their writing inaccessible, then Why the Mystics Matter Now is for you. This inviting guidebook for contemporary readers serves as a primer to a body of wisdom that is often viewed as unapproachable, but, in fact, is still relevant to the problems we face today. Frederick Bauerschmidt starts where we are: in a disenchanted world. Then, drawing words from those particular mystics whose struggles and questions closely parallel our own, he reveals the meaning of their words in clear, practical ways. With an unconventional, engaging, and often playful style, Bauerschmidt strips away the barriers, making the mystics less intimidating and more accessible. Featuring: THOMAS MERTON THERESE OF LISIEUX HILDEGARD OF BINGEN JULIAN OF NORWICH MEISTER ECKHART IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA CATHERINE OF SIENA Frederick Bauerschmidt is a deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and Professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland. He is the author of several books, including Thomas Aquinas: Faith, Reason, and Following Christ (Oxford University Press), Catholic Theology: An Introduction (with James Buckley, Wiley Publishers), and Julian of Norwich and the Mystical Body Politic of Christ (University of Notre Dame Press). His wife, Maureen Sweeney, is an immigration lawyer and teaches as the University of Maryland School of Law. They have three young-adult children.