Advancing in Prayer to the Illuminative and Unitive Stages of Spirituality

[koda]

I’ve been reading Merton for years and really get a lot out of it. I’m currently reading his diaries which were only published 25 years after his death and which he didn’t think would be published when he wrote them, which makes his personal insights more, well, personal. He talks about the nurse and it is clear he nearly drove himself mad over the issue. He remained celebite, by the way. His honesty is refreshing as he discusses his trials and I find him easy to relate to. I recently purchased a new book of his lectures and lessons on the Desert Fathers which he gave when he was novice master - yet I have not yet had time to really get into it.

 

[Mike_O]

It is strange to hear about this aspect of Merton’s life as I had once seen some sort of campaign going on to have him beatified.

 

[koda]

Mike O:

It is strange to hear about this aspect of Merton’s life as I had once seen some sort of campaign going on to have him beatified.

I don’t think it makes him any worse of a person - just shows that he was human and had human temptations. He remained true to his vows. This was 1 or 2 years before he died, by the way (I get the dates confused). I know he died in Dec. of '68 but can’t remember if the current book I’m on is '66 or '67. It is the next to last volume of the journal/diary set.

 

[CHRIS_DICKSON]

May I suggest “THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL DESIRE” by Ralph Martin? Without a doubt, this is the most comprehensive study of Contemplative Prayer surrounding some of our most beloved Doctors of the Church. I read it six times the first couple months after receiving it and have read it a couple times since then. Had I received a copy of this book ten or fifteen years ago, it would have saved me many countless hours of research on the subject.

Then after you read it, “Just do it!” God will take you where you are supposed to go!