The need for contemplative values today is great, as we are often swept up into the demands of family, work, and community. Daily, we make decisions with lightning speed, without seeking insight to understand the word of God and his will for our lives.

In It Draws Me: The Art of Contemplation, Mary M. McDonald, PhD, invites you to engage art with a contemplative lens. The contemplative examines artwork and experiences knowledge, wisdom and insight. To help guide you, this book features Thomas Merton’s previously unpublished notes on lectio divina and teaches us about the origin, composition, and spirituality of icons and Song Dynasty paintings.