Becoming an Ordinary Mystic - by Albert Haase Ofm & Albert Haase Ofm (Paperback)

About the Book

Do you ever feel like you are walking in spiritual circles? While we might think it would be different for a Franciscan priest, Father Albert Haase shares the same struggles. Yet he also affirms that we are all called to be ordinary mystics. This book offers a daily path to help us learn to be a mystic--cultivating a life with God in which we draw close, listen, and respond moment to moment.

Book Synopsis

I should be further along on the spiritual journey. Why don't I see any progress? What am I doing wrong?

Do you ever feel like you are walking in spiritual circles? While we might think it would be different for a Franciscan priest, Father Albert Haase shares the same struggles. And yet he also affirms that we are all called to be ordinary mystics, who, in the words of his own spiritual director, are "ordinary Christians who do what we are all called to do: respond to grace."

Learning to be a mystic is about cultivating a life with God in which we draw close, listen, and respond moment to moment. We know we will fail at times, but we can also be certain that we follow a God who never stops reaching out to us. This book offers a daily path to making the connection.

Review Quotes

"A deeply personal and intimate look at what it means to be a mystic. Father Albert invites us to dive deep and unlock the mysteries of our faith. If we are willing to make the descent, Fr. Albert guides all of us on an adventure rooted in the depths of our heart. It is simple, insightful, and life giving."

Chuck Neff, host of The Inner Life, Relevant Radio

"Albert Haase holds keen insight for the subtleties of the spiritual journey. His guidance gently leads us along the path that makes meaning out of our life."

Phileena Heuertz, founding partner of Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism, author of Mindful Silence and Pilgrimage of a Soul

"Belief does not come as naturally for many of us as it did for our parents and grandparents. A world without God seems a live option. So if we are to believe, we will need to be people who have experienced a living God, people who are ordinary mystics. With lucidity, candor, and warmth, Father Haase helps us understand that while being an ordinary mystic isn't necessarily easy, it is simple, and he shows us how to become one."

Austin Fischer, lead pastor of Vista Community Church, author of Faith in the Shadows

"Franciscan Albert Haase is a master storyteller. Throughout Becoming an Ordinary Mystic his pithy, down-to-earth anecdotes draw a reader in. But these tales have a decided plumb line. Into them he skillfully weaves insights from Christian wisdom figures--from Job to Teresa of Ávila to Thomas Merton. What emerges is a surprisingly accessible guide to a mature Christian life saturated with the divine presence. The author gives thoughtful attention to classic spiritual arts of awareness, listening, attentiveness, forgiveness, apophatic and kataphatic prayer as well as experiences of dark night, sin, fear, doubt, and mercy, all while grounding enduring truths in real life using arresting allusions to Haase's own struggles and the struggles of those he ministered to."

Wendy M. Wright, professor emerita of theology, Creighton University

"In Becoming an Ordinary Mystic, Father Haase has painted a sublimely practical picture of what it might look like to pursue life with Christ in the details of commonplace living. This book is an encouragement to live in the now, reflect on the why, and live purposefully in his presence."

Manuel Luz, creative arts pastor, author of Honest Worship

"Want to be a mystic? I didn't, until I read what Father Albert has to say about this surprisingly accessible way of perceiving the road we're traveling. In this short book, you'll find yourself reading along with some of the greatest minds of the church. You'll recognize yourself in the stories, grow through the training exercises, and be inspired by the invitation to claim your inner mystic. And will you become, in the end, one of those blessed ones? That's up to you."

Alice Camille, coauthor of Fearless: Stories of the American Saints

"We are mystics because we are called to a relationship with God and to live that intimacy God desires with every person. So this is the book many folks have been waiting for. In ordinary language with great examples and stories of real people, Father Haase leads us to understand the spiritual journey in ways that truly touch the heart. Each chapter concludes with an exercise to practice, reflect, and ponder, which I found very helpful. Surely most of us want to become ordinary mystics and this work encourages us to continue seeking the deeper life with God."

Joseph Tedesco, superior of Mepkin Abbey Trappist Monastery, Moncks Corner, SC

"With scriptural insights and practical exercises, Albert Haase reminds us that God has an ardent longing for a deeper and deeper relationship with each of us. The disciple's journey is a mystical journey that leads to a deeper experience of the ordinary and mundane. To plumb the depths of the secular is to scale the heights of the sacred. An authentic expression of the Franciscan vision of the world!"

Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation

About the Author

Albert Haase, OFM, is a preacher, teacher, and spiritual director. A former missionary to mainland China for over eleven years, he is the award-winning author of ten books on popular spirituality and the presenter on five bestselling DVDs. He holds a PhD in historical theology from Fordham University and an MDiv from Catholic Theological Union. He is currently serving as chaplain at Cedarbrake Retreat Center near Austin, Texas.