Why Read the Mystics?

Why should anyone bother reading the mystics?

Okay, some people would rather spend their lives reading People magazine or playing with their Xbox or simply trolling Ebay for that amazing find. So be it. One of the qualities of lavish grace is that it doesn’t force itself on anyone. So the first and perhaps most important answer to my question is simply, “Because you want to.” But having once established that interest (or desire) is present, still, why bother? Why not just read the Bible (or sacred texts from around the world), or sample the best of contemporary religious writing, or (actually a very worthy goal) moderate our religious study with exploration of science, technology, literature, philosophy, literature and the arts?

Okay, so it makes sense to incorporate the reading of mystical writings with an overall balanced intellectual and spiritual life. Fair enough. But mysticism still can be a wonderful focus for anyone interested in a deepening inner/spiritual life. Meanwhile, in the first sentence of this paragraph I’ve given you a clue to what I see as the two-fold reason why anyone can profit from getting to know the great works of the Christian mystics (or of the mystics of any contemplative tradition, for that matter).