Awaken to the sound of God's voice and take up the journey to a rich and full life. How can I open myself to awareness? What if I have encountered God in some profound way? Which experiences are from God and which are of my own making? Are there right and wrong ways to pray? What about my ordinary life in the everyday world? 

"Mystics are not part of a small elite society.... Rather, they are people who have come to experience the intense, personal desire God has to share himself with us." In this powerful guide, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti reminds us that becoming a mystic is not a matter of learning some "mystical secret," but of entering into the divine simplicity of God's unbounded and unrestrained love. This invitation is for all of us. In a series of practical, readable chapters, Rossetti addresses the many questions and concerns that arise on the path to deeper prayer. He draws carefully from the wisdom of scripture and uses his broad knowledge of mystical writers, from the Desert Fathers to Therese of Lisieux, to guide us on a road we may never have expected to take. Writing from his own experience of prayer and from his expertise as a spiritual director and therapist, he helps us arrive at a deeper understanding of ourselves as wounded and sinful people who are nevertheless caught up in the transforming love of God."

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Chapter 1: Purely A Gift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2: Intoxicated on God's Milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3: Ever More the Beginner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 4: Friends of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter 5: Facing Sin is Freedom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 6: Judge Not. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 7: The Need to Be Guided. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 8: Living for God Alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 43

Chapter 9: Thy Will Be Done. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Chapter 10: Waiting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 11: God is the Present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Chapter 12: Pray Always . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Chapter 13: Praying is Breathing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 14: Munching on Jesus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Chapter 15: The Scriptures are Our Consolation. . . . . . . . ..... . . . . 83

Chapter 16: Ecstasies are a Distraction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Chapter 17: Flee From Locutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . 93

Chapter 18: Seek Mercy, Not Suffering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 99

Chapter 19: Knowing By Not Knowing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . 105

Chapter 20: Safe Harbor From Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . 113

Chapter 21: Our Radiantly Humble God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . 119

Chapter 22: The Sound of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 127

Chapter 23: The Noisy Distractions of Humanity. . . . . . . ........ . . . 133

Chapter 24: Bearer of God's Joy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 141

Chapter 25: Bearers of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Chapter 26: A Life Hidden in the Triune God. . . . . . . . . . . ...... . . . 157

Chapter 27: In The End is My Beginning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . 165

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Selected Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177