The Sun at Midnight offers a splendid, easily accessible summary of mystical theology in the Cistercian school. Bernardo Olivera, a master of both the theology and the practice of the spiritual life, analyzes this tradition first in its rich human, biblical, and doctrinal connotations, and then according to its most typical expressions as they are lived among Cistercian mystics, with reference also to other Christian men and women. Olivera explores the rich testimony of the monks of the twelfth century as well as the lesser-known nuns and holy women of the thirteenth century.

Throughout the book, we discover Olivera’s fundamental thesis: Personal mystical experience is not only the key to an adequate renewal of monastic life today but also—and above all—the foundation, the originating point, of any and all religion or religious tradition. Mystical experience is, in particular, the origin of Christianity and its rich spiritual tradition.

Bernardo Olivera, OCSO, is abbot of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles in Azul, Argentina. He served as Abbot General of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance from 1990 to 2008. Dom Bernardo is author of How Far to Follow? The Martyrs of Atlas (Cistercian Publications), as well as many books published in South America.