Turning to the Mystics with James Finley

This is the first session which focuses on Thérèse of Lisieux. In the tenor of the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, James Finley reads passages from the John Clarke translation of Thérèse's Story of a Soul, reflects on core themes, and finishes with a meditative practice.

Resources:

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

The books we will be using this season are:


Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Third Edition, translated by John Clarke, which can be found ⁠here⁠, and ⁠here⁠.

⁠St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters Series), edited by Mary Frolich⁠

Connect with us:

Have a question you'd like Jim or Kirsten to answer about this season?

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Send us a voicemail: ⁠⁠⁠cac.org/voicemail⁠⁠⁠

We'll be accepting questions for our Listener Questions episode until

May 15, 2026.

This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at ⁠⁠⁠https://cac.org/support-cac/podcasts/⁠⁠⁠ Thank you!

Welcome to Season 13 of Turning to the Mystics.

This season we are turning to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux for spiritual guidance. In this episode, James Finley and Kirsten Oates cover the life and person of Thérèse and discuss how we can work with her ideas to transform our lives.

Resources:

Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about James Finley, visit his faculty profile ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.⁠

The books we will be using this season are:


Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Third Edition, translated by John Clarke, which can be found ⁠here⁠, and ⁠here⁠.

⁠St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters Series), edited by Mary Frolich⁠

Connect with us:

Have a question you'd like Jim or Kirsten to answer about this season?

Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Send us a voicemail: ⁠⁠cac.org/voicemail⁠⁠

We'll be accepting questions for our Listener Questions episode until

May 15, 2026.

This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at ⁠⁠https://cac.org/support-cac/podcasts/⁠⁠ Thank you!

Season 13 of Turning to the Mystics will continue with our next mystic, St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Our journey begins on March 16th, 2026.

Resources:

The books Jim will be referencing this season are:


Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Third Edition, translated by John Clarke, which can be found here, and here.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters Series), edited by Mary Frolich

In this episode, Kirsten and Jim answer Season 12 listener questions, which focus on the teachings of Brother Lawrence.

Resources:

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Connect with us:

This podcast is made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at ⁠⁠https://cac.org/support-cac/podcasts/⁠⁠ Thank you!

In this special episode, Jim and Kirsten review the season and offer a way for us to turn to Brother Lawrence for guidance on our own spiritual path.

Resources:

Turning to the Mystics is a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more about James Finley, visit his faculty profile ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

The book we are using this season can be ⁠⁠⁠⁠found here⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with us:

Have a question you'd like Jim or Kirsten to answer about this season?

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Send us a voicemail: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cac.org/voicemail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We'll be accepting questions for our Listener Questions episode until November 7th, 2025.

This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cac.org/support-cac/podcasts/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you!