What was Cistercian Thomas Merton's contribution to Catholocism?

[Michael_C]

Kevin Walker:

Since I am in no way whatsoever any kind of expert on Father Merton, I can only repeat the opinions his proponents and opponents.

His proponents say that Thomas Merton was only acting within the ecumenical spirit of the times (Geiseit, auf deutsch) when he obviously incorporated ascpect of (hinayana) Buddhism into his treatises of Catholicism; and his opponents claim that he was simply a lapse monk.

I will with-hold my personal opinion until I read several of his works including his DVD biography I found on amazon.com

Kevin, Let me know what you think of the DVD. If it’s good I’ll get it. Thanks.

 

[harlen]

I have to thank Thomes Merton for the reactivation of my faith after quite a few years semi-lapsed.

He made sense of real (contemplative) prayer for me. (Still as a project in the making).
I still pick up “New Seeds of Contemplation” or “No Man is an Island” to read a page or two most days. It keeps me sane & rooted.

He offers a mature, adult, but very deep appreciation of the faith.
And he spoke as one who had wandered the paths that many of us wander today.
He had “lived-it-up”, 60 years ago, as the average westerner does today. This makes him vibrantly relevant. The church always needs new and varied “Saints” to inspire us to be the person we are meant to be… in our varying situations.
Thomas Merton speaks to (& saves?) thousands of “modern” souls, as his Abbot predicted he might by his writing.

As for his discussions with Buhdists? I read his fascinating book on Zen and found nothing worrying in it at all. It is totally orthodox to believe that prayer is natural for all humans. Humanity does not wait to be baptised Catholic to pray or meditate. It is part of our natural order, ordained by God. So to find common grounds, or even useful techniques, among non-catholics would be far from surprising. It is rather what we would expect.

 

[Lifeisawesome]

This might be interesting…

rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2011/03/01/can-i-trust-thomas-merton

 

[asnate]

Sign of Jonas is my favourite, and I would recommend it to anyone, a very good literature, too.
One of the ‘saved’ souls is Jesuit Fr. James Martin, you can read about it his book ‘In Good Company’.

 

[Binary]

I’m nearly finished reading “Seven Storey Mountain.” It’s slow to pick up, but there are many good spiritual insights in it.

 

[Lifeisawesome]

What do you like about it? What insights stand out to you?

 

[The_Old_Medic]

Thomas Merton did NOT become a Buddist. He was in the Far East when he was electrocuted by a faulty fan in his hotel room. He remained a Trappist Priest to his dying day, and he is buried at his Abbey located just outside of Bardstown, Kentucky.

 

[Binary]

What do you like about it? What insights stand out to you?

I’ll type out the most recent part that I really liked:

[after watching the consecration of the gifts at mass]
"…there formed in my mind an awareness, an understanding, a realization of what had just taken place on the altar, at the Consecration: a realization of God made present by the words of Consecration in a way that made Him belong to me.

But what a thing it was, this awareness: it was so intangible, and yet it struck me like a thunderclap. It was a light that was so bright that it had no relation to any visible light and so profound and so intimate that it seemed like a neutralization of every lesser experience…

…It lasted only a moment: but it left a breathless joy and a clean peace and happiness that stayed for hours and it was something I have never forgotten. The strange thing about this light was that although it seemed so “ordinary” in the sense I have mentioned, and so accessible, there was no way of recapturing it. In fact, I did not even know how to start trying to reconstruct the experience or bring it back if I wanted to, except to make acts of faith and love. But it was easy to see that there was nothing I could do to give any act of faith that peculiar quality of sudden obviousness: that was a gift that had to come from somewhere else, beyond and above myself."

 

[Lifeisawesome]

Thomas Merton did NOT become a Buddist. He was in the Far East when he was electrocuted by a faulty fan in his hotel room. He remained a Trappist Priest to his dying day, and he is buried at his Abbey located just outside of Bardstown, Kentucky.

Did someone say he became a Buddhist - I didn’t catch that? I think it is clear the he become confused…

 

[The_Old_Medic]

He did not become “confused” at all. He remained a faithful Catholic Priest to his dying day. Had he not, he would not have been allowed to continue as a Trappist, and he most certainly would not have been allowed to travel around the world taking part in conferences, etc.

He saw beauty, and a way to God, in the practices of other religions. That does not make him “confused”, it makes him a great deal like Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

I would strongly recommend that you actually read his books. I would also recommend that you go to his Monastery, where he is still spoke of as a faithful Catholic. He is buried there under his Cistercian name of Father Louis. And, they utilize the techniques of some of those other religions in their retreats, and in their own lives at the Abbey.

I just love the way that people judge one another on these forums. They accuse others of being wrong, of being “confused”, when it they themselves that are confused. They forget that we are enjoined NOT to judge others, less we be judged exactly as we judge those others.

 

[dixieagle]

I’m going to put in a little plug here. The 12th International Meeting of the (extremely non-profit) ITMS (International Thomas Merton Society) is to be held at Loyola, Chicago in mid-June. My husband is heavily involved, to say the least. Here is a link:

merton.org/Chicago/

I believe the registration deadline is fast approaching.

All are welcome! God bless.

 

[Lifeisawesome]

He did not become “confused” at all. He remained a faithful Catholic Priest to his dying day. Had he not, he would not have been allowed to continue as a Trappist, and he most certainly would not have been allowed to travel around the world taking part in conferences, etc.

He saw beauty, and a way to God, in the practices of other religions. That does not make him “confused”, it makes him a great deal like Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

I would strongly recommend that you actually read his books. I would also recommend that you go to his Monastery, where he is still spoke of as a faithful Catholic. He is buried there under his Cistercian name of Father Louis. And, they utilize the techniques of some of those other religions in their retreats, and in their own lives at the Abbey.

I just love the way that people judge one another on these forums. They accuse others of being wrong, of being “confused”, when it they themselves that are confused. They forget that we are enjoined NOT to judge others, less we be judged exactly as we judge those others.

Well - I have read his writings. Here’s a list of 17 of them with a helpful division of his early and later writings where he strayed into the non-Christian east. With respect to your lament about judging, the Church does so regularly. They issue warnings about teachings and teachers. When those warnings reflect the writings of particular authors or teachings, we can compare the warnings with the writings of others and learn a great deal. Jesus said to “judge with right judgment” in John. St. Paul said to “test all things and hold fast to that which is true.” We can do this by doing as you suggest - by reading their works, and then going one step further and comparing them to Church tradition. This is by no means condemning the souls of the individual but simply assessing their faithfulness.

There are also statements that can indicate their status to any who would listen. As noted in the post above, later in his life while in Bankok, a Dutch abbot asked him (Merton) to appear in a television interview, for “the good of the Church.” But Merton writes that, “It would be much ‘better for the Church’ if I refrained.” This is a very telling statement.

As to your assertions to my ignorance of his writings, just because one doesn’t agree doesn’t mean that one is lacking the comparable education on the topic as you might have. In fact, the disagreement might mean that they know more - though admittedly this is not always the case. In this case I don’t claim to be a Merton expert and may know far less than you.

As to your arguments that:

• He was buried as a Trappist, therefore he was faithful
• He was allowed to travel and speak, therefore he was faithful
• His techniques are still in use, therefore he was faithful

These are what is known as non-sequiturs. There are plenty of heretics (though I am not calling him one) who are buried in the graveyards of their orders and who were, before their death, allowed to continue in their orders. Father Anthony Demello is a great example of one who was allowed to travel and speak, who remained in his order, and who’s “techniques” and writings are still in practice in spite of strong warnings and admonitions from the Holy See.

That said, your emotional response is revealing. Though I suspect it will be insulting to your sensitive soul, might I suggest that you may have a disordered attachment to Merton because he has helped you in some significant way? I don’t deny that he has brought good to you. I am aware that he has helped a great many people in their faith. That said, it is clear by any objective measure that he was confused in the latter period of his life and straying away from the heart of the Church. He may have been a good man. He may have died in a state of grace. As you say, he certainly died a Trappist and a priest. He helped many in their faith. Nonetheless, he was confused and his latter writings should be read with great care.

Pax

 

[sojo]

For me, his greatest contribution has been this prayer which hangs on my wall and is my own prayer many times in my life, especially in times of discernment:

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

- Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”
© Abbey of Gethsemani
​

Oh, this is one of all-time favorite prayers, as well! And the comparison to St. Augustine is apropos. There are many parallels to the Seven Story Mountain (Merton) and Confessions (Augustine). Having had my (very powerful) conversion experience later in life, I too have felt an affinity for both Augustine and Merton.

Some folks are offended that Merton became interested in Eastern practices such as meditation later in life.

 

[Lifeisawesome]

Beautiful prayer. It seems to me that he was always very sincere.

 

[Lifeisawesome]

Some folks are offended that Merton became interested in Eastern practices such as meditation later in life.

I don’t think it is a matter of any personally being “offended.” Its not even the fact that he found legitimate beauty and truth in the non-Christian east (which he obviously did). The issue is whether or not his writings were in keeping with the wisdom and teachings of the Church.

 

[harlen]

…
There are also statements that can indicate their status to any who would listen. As noted in the post above, later in his life while in Bankok, a Dutch abbot asked him (Merton) to appear in a television interview, for “the good of the Church.” But Merton writes that, “It would be much ‘better for the Church’ if I refrained.” This is a very telling statement…

Perhaps we see what we are looking for (or suspicious of) in things. I saw in this comment his characteristic humour and humility.

 

[Lifeisawesome]

Lifeisawesome;7870392:

…
There are also statements that can indicate their status to any who would listen. As noted in the post above, later in his life while in Bankok, a Dutch abbot asked him (Merton) to appear in a television interview, for “the good of the Church.” But Merton writes that, “It would be much ‘better for the Church’ if I refrained.” This is a very telling statement…

Perhaps we see what we are looking for (or suspicious of) in things. I saw in this comment his characteristic humour and humility.

You could be right. It could also mean that he realized (with humility) that he would do damage if he would speak.