Francisco de Osuna

Francisco de Osuna was a Spanish Franciscan friar who lived from about 1492 or 1497 to around 1540 and was the author of some of the most influential works on spirituality in sixteenth century Spain. His book The Third Spiritual Alphabet influenced Saint Teresa of Jesus and is considered a masterpiece of Franciscan mysticism and a foundational text of the recogimiento movement; its premise is that friendship and communion with God are possible in this life through cleansing one's conscience, entering one's heart, resting in loving stillness, and then rising above the heart to God alone.