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Dave Armstrong: Quotable Catholic Mystics and Contemplatives

Dave Armstrong: Quotable Catholic Mystics and Contemplatives

Last updated on: July 14, 2026 at 10:17 pm by Dave Armstrong

Dave Armstrong: Quotable Catholic Mystics and Contemplatives 2026-07-14T22:17:59-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

[book completed on 30 April 2014 and published at Lulu on 1 May 2014; 304 pages; 14 mystics or mystical works; from 22 books]

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Cover photographs: Bottom: Evening Glow, c. 1884. Top: A Moonlit Evening, 1880. Both painted by John Atkinson Grimshaw (English, 1836-1893). In the public domain and available at Wikimedia Commons.

MISC.

Introductory Facebook post (7 March 2014)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication (p. 3):

To the two female Doctors of the Church included in this volume: St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Ávila. We love you and profusely thank our Lord for the immeasurably wonderful gifts of your holiness and wisdom and writings.

Introduction (Evelyn Underhill) (p. 5)

Brief Biographical Portraits (p. 25) [link: read online]

Bibliography (p. 43) [see below]

Quotations (p. 47)

Index of Topics (p. ?)

EXCERPTS FROM MY FACEBOOK PAGE

St. Bernard of Clairvaux [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

St. Bonaventure [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Bl. John of Ruysbroeck [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Bl. Henry Suso [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Johannes Tauler [1] [2] [3] [4]

Walter Hilton [1] [2]

Julian of Norwich [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

St. Catherine of Siena [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

The Cloud of Unknowing [1] [2]

Theologia Germanica [1] [2] [3]

Thomas à Kempis / The Imitation of Christ [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

St. Catherine of Genoa [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

St. Teresa of Ávila [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

St. John of the Cross [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

[chronologically by author]

[all books are in the public domain and available online: St. Bernard at Google Books; Evelyn Underhill at Internet Archive, all others at Christian Classics Ethereal Library]

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

On the Love of God (translated by Marianne Caroline and Coventry Patmore; London: Burns and Oates, 2nd edition, 1884) [includes also, Fragments from a Fragment]

St. Bonaventure (c. 1217-1274)

The Mind’s Road to God (translated by George Boas; Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Educational Publishing, 1953)

Blessed John of Ruysbroeck (c. 1293-1381)

The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage (translated by C. A. Wynschenk; edited by Evelyn Underhill; London: J. M. Dent, 1916)

The Sparkling Stone (translated by C. A. Wynschenk; edited by Evelyn Underhill; London: J. M. Dent, 1916)

The Book of Supreme Truth (translated by C. A. Wynschenk; edited by Evelyn Underhill; London: J. M. Dent, 1916)

Blessed Henry Suso [“Suso”] (1295-1366)

A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom (“translated and published for the Catholics of England years ago”; London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1910)

The Life of Blessed Henry Suso by Himself (translated by Thomas Francis Knox, London: Burns, Lambert, and Oates, 1865)

Johannes Tauler (c. 1300-1361)

The Inner Way (translated by Arthur Wollaston, London: Methuen & Co.,2nd edition, 1909)

Walter Hilton (c. 1340/45 -1396)

The Scale [or, Ladder] of Perfection (English updated by Dom Serenus Cressy, O.S.B., 1659; New York: Benziger Brothers, 1901)

Julian[a] of Norwich (c. 1342-c. 1416)

Revelations of Divine Love (translated by Grace Warrack; London: Methuen & Co., 1901)

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

The Dialogue (translated by Algar Thorold; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1907; abridged edition)

The Cloud of Unknowing: late 14th century anonymous work

The Cloud of Unknowing (translated and edited by Evelyn Underhill; London: John M. Watkins, 2nd edition, 1922)

Theologia Germanica: late 14th century work by an anonymous priest

Theologia Germanica (translated by Susanna Winkworth; edited by Dr. Peiffer; London and Glasgow: Collins’ Clear-Type Press: Golden Treasury Series, 2nd edition, 1893)

Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471)

The Imitation of Christ (translated by Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton; Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Company, 1940)

St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)

Spiritual Dialogue (translated by Charlotte Balfour; New York: Christian Press Association Publishing Co., 1907)

Treatise on Purgatory (unknown translator; New York: Christian Press Association Publishing Co., 1907)

St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582)

Autobiography (translated by David Lewis; London: Thomas Baker / New York: Benziger Bros., 3rd edition, 1904)

The Way of Perfection (translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C.D., Garden City, New York: Doubleday Image Books, 1964)

The Interior Castle (translated by the Benedictines of Stanbrook; revised by Fr. Benedict Zimmerman, O.C.D., London: Thomas Baker, 3rd edition, 1921)

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Ascent of Mount Carmel (translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C.D., Garden City, New York: Doubleday Image Books, 3rd revised edition, 1962)

Dark Night of the Soul (translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C.D., Garden City, New York: Doubleday Image Books, 3rd revised edition, 1959)

A Spiritual Canticle (translated by David Lewis, with corrections by Fr. Benedict Zimmerman, O.C.D., London: Thomas Baker, 1909)

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INDEX OF TOPICS

[215]

Absolution 47 Angels 47 Angels, Guardian, 49 Anger 49 Apostasy 50 Apostolic Succession 50 Aridity, Spiritual 51 Atonement, Universal 53 Baptism of Blood, Fire, or Desire 54 Baptismal Regeneration 54 Beatific Vision 55 Church and Doctrinal Truth 56 Church: Bride of God 57 Church: Obedience to 57 Company, Good 61 Concupiscence 61 Conscience 61 Contrition 61 Correction 63 Covenants; Testaments (Old and New) 63 Cross, The 64 Cross, Taking Up of 64 Crucifixes 68 “Dark Night of the Soul” 68 “Dark Night of the Spirit” 74 Death 78 Deification; Divinization; Theosis 80 Demons 93 Desires, Godly 95 Detraction 96 Devotion 97 Discipleship 98 Disposition, Interior 100 Dreams (as a Means for Visions) 101 Emotions 102 Envy 102 Eucharist 103 Eucharist and Grace 104 Eucharist and Irreverence 106 Eucharist and Salvation 106 Eucharist: Preparation for 107 Eucharistic Adoration 107 Evangelism 108 Faith 108 Faith and Works 110 Faults 110 Fear 111 Flesh, The 111 Forgiveness 111 Ghosts 112 Gifts, Spiritual 113 God, Devotion to 114 God: Goodness of 114 God: Immutability of (Unchangeability) 115 God: Impassibility of (No Changeable Emotions) 116 God: Incomprehensibility of 117 God: Love for Us 119 God: Man’s Love of 121 God: Mercy of 123 God: Omnipotence of 125 God: Omnipresence of 125 God: Outside of Time 125 God: Praise of 126 God: Presence of; Personal Relationship with 127 God, Providence of 127 God: Seeking of; Yearning After 128 God: Self-Sufficiency of 130 God, Trust in 131 God, Will of 131 Grace 131 Grace Alone (for Salvation) 133 Grace and Sin 135 Grace: Necessity of, for All Good Works 135 Grace: Quantifiable 138 Grace vs. Self-Reliance 139 Gratitude 139 Happiness 140 Heart: Indwelling by God 140 Heart, Purity of 143 Heaven 144 Hell 145 Heretics 152 Holy Spirit, Illumination of 152 Holy Water 153 Honor 153 Humility 153 Images and Icons 156 Inebriation, Spiritual 159 Jesus, Crucified, Visions of 159 Jesus: Devotion to; Personal Relationship with 160 Jesus, Glorified 163 Jesus, Imitation of 164 Jesus, Passion of 164 Jesus, Second Coming of 166 Jesus, Vision of 167 Joy 168 Judgment Day 169 Legalism 169 Levitation 169 Light, Divine 170 Locutions, Divine 170 Locutions, Satanic 171 Love; Charity 173 Love and Knowledge 176 Love, Fire of 176 Lust 177 Mary and Joseph: Vision of 178 Mary: Assumption of 178 Mary: Imitation of 178 Mary: Immaculate Conception of 179 Mary: Knowledge of Jesus’ Passion 179 Mary: Mediatrix 179 Mary, Meekness of 180 Mary: Queen of Heaven 180 Mary: Second Eve 181 Mary: Sinlessness of 181 Mary: Spiritual Mother and Intercessor 181 Mary, Veneration of 182 Mary, Vision of 183 Mass, Sacrifice of the 183 Meditation 183 Meekness 184 Merit 184 Mind, Carnal, and Seeing God 187 Miracles 188 Mortification 188 Mysticism / Mystical Theology 190 Opposition 193 Peace, Inner 194 Penance 197 Penance, Sacrament of (Reconciliation; Confession) 198 Perfection 199 Persecution and Forgiveness 201 Perseverance 201 Pilgrimages 202 Prayer 202 Prayer and Grace 206 Prayer and Salvation 207 Prayer, Answers to 207 Prayer, Contemplative 208 Prayer, Distraction in 215 Prayer, Informal or Spontaneous 217 Prayer: Listening to God 218 Preaching 219 Pride 220 Pride, Spiritual (“Pharisaism”) 221 Priests 222 Purgatory 224 Purity 230 Rapture; Spiritual Bliss; Ecstasy 231 Reason and Piety 233 Reason, Idolatry of 234 Redemption; Atonement 234 Relics 235 Repentance 235 Repentance, Deathbed 235 Reprobation; Damnation 236 Revelations 238 Riches, Excessive Desire for 238 Saints, Communion of 240 Saints, Invocation and Intercession of 242 Saints, Veneration of 243 Salvation 244 Salvation, Moral Assurance of 245 Sanctification 246 Satan 249 Satan and Hedonism 254 Satan and Prayer 255 Satan and Visions 255 Satan, Appearance of 256 Satisfaction 257 Scripture 257 Scripture and Spirituality 257 Scripture and Truth 258 Self-Examination 259 Self-Knowledge 260 Self-Love 260 Sensuality; Carnality 261 Servanthood 262 Sin 262 Sin: Fiery Purging of 264 Sin, Mortal 265 Sin, Original 267 Sin, Venial 268 Solitude 268 Soul, The 269 Spiritual Feelings 269 Spirituality 270 Submission 272 Suffering 272 Suffering and Joy 274 Suffering and Merit 275 Suffering and Reward 275 Suffering and Sanctity 276 Suffering and Trust in God 276 Suffering: Chastisement 279 Suffering and Redemption 280 Suffering with (and for) Christ 280 Temptation 284 Temptation and Holiness 286 Temptation and Prayer 286 Temptation and Satan 287 Thanksgiving 288 Tradition, Sacred 288 Trinity, Holy 288 Unbelief 289 Vices 289 Virtue(s) 290 Visions 292 Vocations; Callings 293 Will, Man’s 293 Working Together with God (Co-Laborers) 294 Works, Good 296

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Practical Matters: This is the most comprehensive and multi-faceted Catholic apologetics blog: rated #1 for Christian sites by leading AI tool, ChatGPT. I offer more than 5,000 free online articles, fifty-eight books, and many scores of videos at the Catholic Bible Highlights YouTube channel (please subscribe!). If you believe my full-time apostolate is worth supporting, please seriously consider financially supporting it. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: [email protected]. You’ll see the term “Dave Armstrong Bookstore”. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including Zelle and 100% tax-deductible donations if desired), see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million!

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Last updated on 14 July 2026

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