Thomas Merton, (1915–1968)—who died fifty years ago today

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From his book, New Seeds of Contemplation
Contemplation is the highest expression of [human] intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant Source. Contemplation is above all, awareness of the reality of that Source. It knows the Source, obscurely, inexplicably, but with a certitude that goes both beyond reason and beyond simple faith. . .
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He was one of the great spiritual people of our time who gave us so much in his writings.

In Christ.

Jim
 
Merton’s last posthumously published journal entry, from the book, The Intimate Merton: His Life From His Journals:

“December 8, 1968, Bangkok
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In a little while I leave the hotel. I’m going to say Mass at St. Louis Church, have lunch at the Apostolic Delegation, then on to the Red Cross place this afternoon.”

We never know when the end might come. Rest in peace, Fr. Louis.
 
So when I was a young man, about 22, I wanted to become a Trappist monk but never heard of Thomas Merton. Someone mentioned him at a youth retreat. I slowly started to read him. And I made my first reatreat at Gethsemani. I saw his grave. This was like 1979. He validated my intersts in Eastern spirituality and helped me integrate it with Catholicism. i wish out lives would have overlapped a little more. I would have given him a shakuhachi. I think he would have liked playing it at his hermitage.

Back at that time Br Giles was the vocation director. I had some good talked with him. What a beautiful place and time of life for me. I did not enter the Trappist order though. But contemplative prayer has been the one stable thing in my life. I am grateful to Thomas Merton for his groundbreaking work.
 
I knew Merton was a monk, but the main thing I knew about him was that we have the “Thomas Merton Center” here in Pittsburgh which pushes a full plate of liberal ideals locally.

For all I would know, Merton may have been a moderate, and the only other i knew about him was that he wrote the preface to a translation of “City of God” I own.
 
Contemplative practice is viewed as liberal by many conservative Catholics

Often, it’s because of their own ignorance about Contemplation itself.

Years ago, in this very forum, Contemplation was called New Age.

Centering Prayer was banned and any knowledge about this method of Contemplative Prayer, was stifled.

Thankfully, through the Holy Spirit, that door has been reopened.

Jim
 
Like many disagreements between religious “liberals” and “conservatives” (problematic political terminology that should be left out of religious discussions), the root cause is misunderstanding.
 
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Eternal memory!

The Seven Story Mountain is a great spiritual read for those who have not yet read it.

ZP
 
Fr. Louis (his Religious name) was a fascinating amalgamation of seemingly different things: He was, first and foremost, a Trappist monk. One who is mostly silent, withdrawn from the world and largely nameless.

His writing took him to the Far East in a very public, noisy way.

As such, he feuded with his abbot over these contradictory ways. They had a strained relationship. Yet when the abbot died, he was buried next to Fr. Louis for all eternity. In the end - God sorts it all out.

The Seven Storey Mountain is a largely autobiographical work. Merton wrote over 70 books in total.

May all those who seek God through silence be blessed manifold,
Deacon Christopher
 
I just recently learned from Fr Richard Rohr, why some of the Monks at Gethsemani, were turned off by him.

Years ago, Fr Rohr, to his own surprise was asked to give a retreat at Gethsemani. He thought, Trappists want me to give a retreat ? Well, he thought to himself while preparing his talks, “I’ll just quote Thomas Merton a lot. That should be good because Merton was one of their own and they must’ve loved him.” (paraphrasing here).

Anyway, when he started giving his first talk and quoted Thomas Merton, he noticed monks squirming in their seats, coughing and adjusting their scapulars. He thought maybe he just read them wrong. So the 2nd day he again quoted Thomas Merton and saw the same reaction.

He then asked the monk who had invited him, what am I doing wrong in the talks ? The monk told him how some did not like Thomas Merton, because he had told them that many of them were not “Contemplatives,” but introverts. This upset the some, especially older monks.

The fact is, many did enter cloistered monasteries because they didn’t like being around people and were in fact, introverts.

This is not what contemplation is about, Contemplation is a gift for extroverts as well as introverts. We don’t go into silent interior prayer in order to shut ourselves off from other people, but to learn how to live better while were among them and to serve them when called on.

Jim
 
Interesting comments.

I don’t recall when my family first visited Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey but either when I was in late grade school or early high school. While in college seminary (18 or 19 years old) I spoke with one of the monks abut joining. I joke that they said they didn’t want me as I could never shut up.

They live a hard life of mostly silence, half a day spent in work, the rest in prayer and contemplation. Back in 1965 (when I was talking with them) they were even stricter in their lifestyle, with almost no conversation.

Most of their communities seem small; sadly, the community in Utah has sold their property and are slowly dying off.

My family and I have been attending Midnight Mass there from the late 1960’s. Once about 10 years ago there was a sever winter ice storm and many areas were without power. I managed to get to the Abbey along with a handful of others. As the power was completely out, they said Mass in their refectory as it was the only semi warm room available. That was one Mass I won’t soon forget.

I would suggest all pray, that they may have enough vocations to sustain their special charism.
 
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