Could Thomas Merton ever be a Saint?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Prodigal1984
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Prodigal1984

Guest
For starters, he could be in heaven and a saint for all we know.
But I’m curious as to if he could ever be a capital “S” Saint in the Church. I never have seen his name really put up for a cause of canonization. I’ve read he wrote and said some unorthodox stuff, however Pope Francis especially seems very influenced by him.
Is there something that disqualifies him from being a Saint in the Church or is this just something that it hasn’t pursued up to the present?
 
Prodigal1984 said:
Is there something that disqualifies him from being a Saint in the Church or is this just something that it hasn’t pursued up to the present?
Click to expand...
He took a very Buddhist bent towards his later life. I don’t think he left the Church, but its effects in his writings were scandalous to say the very least.
 
I have read and taught his works. They’re not at all scandalous. They were ahead of their time in ecumenism efforts, and thus some at the time found some of his thought concerning. I never understand why this persists, except from people who haven’t read his works.
But to the OPs question. You don’t become a saint because of spiritual writing, no matter how good it is. You become a saint by living a life of heroic charity. I don’t know whether someone like Merton, or many others like, say, Dante, lived such a life, even if their writings have helped people to greater holiness.
 
Prodigal1984 said:
Is there something that disqualifies him from being a Saint in the Church
Click to expand...
I don’t think the Church ever really approaches it in this manner; that would almost be too judgmental.
Prodigal1984 said:
is this just something that it hasn’t pursued up to the present?
Click to expand...
Highly likely, and not just with Merton, but long lists of folks. In Merton’s case, there may be reasons no one would ever pursue it, or maybe someday, they will. It would likely be one of his brother Trappists to initiate it, I would imagine. These things usually begin locally and work their way to Rome.

I have a great admiration for Merton, but whether he fits the “Saint profile”… I’m not sure. He’s definitely influential, though, and in my opinion, positively so.
 
He probably could, but it’s not going to be in our lifetime. We have enough less controversial holy people with pending causes right now. I also don’t get the impression his order wants to push him. If Merton gets a cause it will be a couple hundred years down the road.
 
Last edited:
No real opinions on his personal life or his gravitating towards Eastern philosophies in his later life, but Seven Storey Mountain and The Sign of Jonas were both fantastic books. The Sign of Jonas is basically a diary of his monastic day to day life. For anyone discerning a vocation to religious life, that book is great…
 
Of the objections stated so far, something analogous could be said of Cardinal Newman. It took about 130 years from death to canonization for Newman, Merton may be similar.

What has to happen is people have to continue to be influenced by his writings. Someone at some point will be nspired to a career that guides his cause to is conclusion. Or that will not happen, and Merton will not be canonized. IOW it is in the hands of God, and the people God creates.

He has inspired the International Thomas Merton Society, which is a good sign that a cult will develop around him.
 
Limoncello4021 said:
You don’t become a saint because of spiritual writing, no matter how good it is. You become a saint by living a life of heroic charity. I don’t know whether someone like Merton, or many others like, say, Dante, lived such a life, even if their writings have helped people to greater holiness.
Click to expand...
I would say that his spiritual writings helped lead an enormous number of people into a closer relationship with God while also enabling him (despite being cloistered) to speak out on matters of injustice and other issues of his day. The arguments about the subject matter of his writings (really only the later ones) are a non-issue because all of his writings (other than personal journals and letters) would have been cleared for publication by the superiors / censors of his order and a bishop. In many ways his writings are incredibly ahead of their time. That said, afaik the Trappists haven’t opened his cause for canonisation yet.
 
Interestingly he is venerated by one of the churches in the Anglican Communion. I think one in the east.
 
Prodigal1984 said:
Interestingly he is venerated by one of the churches in the Anglican Communion. I think one in the east.
Click to expand...
I believe his veneration as a saint in the Anglican communion extends to a number of provinces. That said, their process for canonisation is nothing like ours. As an aside, I believe that soon-to-be-Saint John Henry Newman is venerated by the Anglicans, the irony of which is palpable!
 
InThePew said:
The arguments about the subject matter of his writings (really only the later ones) are a non-issue because all of his writings (other than personal journals and letters) would have been cleared for publication by the superiors / censors of his order and a bishop. In many ways his writings are incredibly ahead of their time.
Click to expand...
I agree. We have seen this with other saints also. Often the things they said and did were not accepted by other contemporary holy people, including Popes, but became more generally accepted a few hundred years down the line. I think this is what would have to happen with Merton for him to become a saint.
 
Last edited:
It brought another name to my mind - when you think of somebody whose writing was influential, wouldn’t Thomas a Kempis be the one? And still no beatification for him, though - why? You might know, I never did any research on that subject. But perhaps it is like with Dolindo Ruotolo - I’m positive he’s in Heaven, he’s already venerated in Italy, and in Poland, and yet, the process is very slow because of the books he wrote, so many of them, and some mystical (Thomas a Kempis after all talked to Lord Jesus, Father Dolindo had locutions and visions - these things make the whole beatification process longer and more difficult). Was that the case with Thomas Merton? I only read The Seven Story Mountain.
 
Amen!

From someone who knew him well.

His extremely odd death (possibly electrocuted by a fan, but also with a head wound) in Thailand before a conference is thought by some an act of mercy by God to keep him from apostatizing. But, staying in an adjacent cottage, then Abbot Rembert Weakland… this story has as many twists and turns as the Kennedy assassination.

Some Catholic authors have pictured him as more of a spiritual seeker than a spiritual settler. As well, his superior seems to have impelled him in the direction of ecumenical contact with Buddhists - questionable because of his personal relationship struggles and spiritual seeking state.
 
Last edited:
Shelion said:
when you think of somebody whose writing was influential, wouldn’t Thomas a Kempis be the one? And still no beatification for him, though - why? You might know, I never did any research on that subject.
Click to expand...
The story I was told in school by the nuns (believe it or don’t) is that he had a cause for sainthood centuries ago and it was abandoned because when they exhumed him they found evidence that he was accidentally buried while still alive and woke up in the coffin and was scratching at the lid trying to escape. Since they couldn’t be sure if he’d committed some mortal sin in those last moments (although I personally think God would be merciful to anyone who sinned in that horrifying situation) they didn’t proceed with the canonization.

This theory has been questioned. I note that this blogger for example notes there is confusion in the record as to just how and when Thomas a Kempis died, and he says there are several reasons why in his opinion Thomas a Kempis wasn’t canonized, but then doesn’t mention any of them except the coffin theory.

http://www.timothyedmoore.com/why-isnt-thomas-akempis-a-saint-of-the-catholic-church/
 
Last edited:
Oh, I might have read that somewhere, indeed, a long time ago. Thank you for reminding me.
 
I agree and Pope Benedict the xvi had some concerns about his later works. I do think that his earlier works seems to be well regarded though and some in the transition time are marked as read with caution.

I’d expect Pope Francis is using them with caution in his ecumenical work. Personally I’d say it would be difficult to make someone a saint if they have deviated from church teachings as they would have to add caution markers on some works as not all people are educated enough to read something and pick out all the bits that may lead them astray. All the Buddhist bits are clearly problematic and while they might help in relations with our religions they are not to be incorporated. We should keep and oil and water approach and be respectful of our brothers and sisters but not mix any of their ideas into our doctrine.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
40.png
Shelion:
when you think of somebody whose writing was influential, wouldn’t Thomas a Kempis be the one? And still no beatification for him, though - why? You might know, I never did any research on that subject.
Click to expand...
The story I was told in school by the nuns (believe it or don’t) is that he had a cause for sainthood centuries ago and it was abandoned because when they exhumed him they found evidence that he was accidentally buried while still alive and woke up in the coffin and was scratching at the lid trying to escape. Since they couldn’t be sure if he’d committed some mortal sin in those last moments (although I personally think God would be merciful to anyone who sinned in that horrifying situation) they didn’t proceed with the canonization.

This theory has been questioned. I note that this blogger for example notes there is confusion in the record as to just how and when Thomas a Kempis died, and he says there are several reasons why in his opinion Thomas a Kempis wasn’t canonized, but then doesn’t mention any of them except the coffin theory.

http://www.timothyedmoore.com/why-isnt-thomas-akempis-a-saint-of-the-catholic-church/
Click to expand...
That has got to be the second-worst “nun theology” story I’ve ever heard - the worst being our 8th grade nun (and school principal) who, when explaining Jesus’ circumcision, said he was cut on his arm. Heard that one with my own ears.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top