Thomas Merton?

[UnityNow101]

Has anyone read any of the works by John Merton, the twentieth century trappist monk who wrote many spiritual books and memoirs? I am beginning to read 'Seeds of contemplation' and am wondering if anyone else had read and enjoyed his work?

 

[sojourner]

I have. Merton's great. You should also find a book called Landscape of Prayer by Murray Bodo. He's a student of Merton's and a fine writer and spiritual director.

 

[athanasius]

From what I have heard from Catholic Authorities, Merton's old stuff was pretty good and solidly Catholic but some of his later stuff may have problems as he may have unintentionally blended eastern religious concepts with Catholic concepts. In our Class, (I go to a devout Catholic university majoring in Catholic theology), we we told to be weary of his stuff and check it against the Vatican's teachings.

 

[UnityNow101]

Maybe that was a benefit that he tried to unite some of the eastern ways of thinking with Christianity, yet remaining loyal to Christ? Is Catholicism weary of many of the Christian "Mystic" writers, or is it just limited to Merton?

 

[PureX]

Has anyone read any of the works by John Merton, the twentieth century trappist monk who wrote many spiritual books and memoirs? I am beginning to read 'Seeds of contemplation' and am wondering if anyone else had read and enjoyed his work?

Yes, I am a fan of Thomas Merton. One of my favorite books of his is "Conjectures Of A Guilty Bystander". I also really liked "A Thomas Merton Reader".

I think what I like best about Merton's writings is that he's ultimately very practical. He understood clearly that spirituality is something that people need to 'practice' at. It's not some high and mighty ideal that one can adopt and then be "holy". Instead, it's a life's practice, which includes failures and setbacks and confusion. He made the life of a monk understandable to me.

He also had a good sense of humor, and a lot of courage. He was not afraid to take on his own church.

Some Merton Quotes:

"Be good, keep your feet dry, your eyes open, your heart at peace and your soul in the joy of Christ."

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony."

"I cannot make the universe obey me. I cannot make other people conform to my own whims and fancies. I cannot make even my own body obey me."

"In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for "finding himself." If he persists in shifting his responsibility to somebody else, he fails to find out the meaning of his own existence."

"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone-we find it with each another."

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."

"We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."

"When ambition ends, happiness begins."

 

[Smoke]

Maybe that was a benefit that he tried to unite some of the eastern ways of thinking with Christianity, yet remaining loyal to Christ?

Not everybody cares for the blending of traditions. I remember, years ago, hearing Merton described as a fallen monk who was electrocuted while he was in Thailand to pray with demon worshipers.

Is Catholicism weary of many of the Christian "Mystic" writers, or is it just limited to Merton?

The Catholic Church likes its mystics firmly Catholic in doctrine. Mystics have a tendency to stray from orthodoxy, Catholic or otherwise. But there are plenty of Catholic mystics who are fine in the eyes of the Church.

 

[PureX]

Merton was not afraid to speak out against the danger of worshipping orthodoxy instead of God - of obeying orthodoxy instead of God - of becoming blind to God's spirit as we obsess over religious rules and dictums. And he took a lot of flack from some people in his order for it. But in the end his writing was so practical and honest that the truth in it couldn't be suppressed, and he became a very important spokesman for Christianity in a time of great upheaval.

 

[athanasius]

Merton was not afraid to speak out against the danger of worshipping orthodoxy instead of God - of obeying orthodoxy instead of God - of becoming blind to God's spirit as we obsess over religious rules and dictums. And he took a lot of flack from some people in his order for it. But in the end his writing was so practical and honest that the truth in it couldn't be suppressed, and he became a very important spokesman for Christianity in a time of great upheaval.

You have to understand that Catholics believe that Orthodoxy comes from God so when we obey orthodoxy we are obeying Christ(God) teachings through his church. That is how we see it. So that is why merton is seen as being somewhat questionable to many devout Catholic teachers. But like I said his earlier stuff is supposed to be great.

 

[PureX]

You have to understand that Catholics believe that Orthodoxy comes from God so when we obey orthodoxy we are obeying Christ(God) teachings through his church. That is how we see it. So that is why merton is seen as being somewhat questionable to many devout Catholic teachers. But like I said his earlier stuff is supposed to be great.

Not all Catholics are so orthodox. And within the church there have been lots of discussion, debate, and controversy over the years. Thomas Merton was one more voice in this onrunning discussion, and he was a very important voice during the 60s, when there was a lot of change happening in the world, and in the Catholic Church. These days, I know of very few Catholics who would not site Merton as a leading modern Catholic theologian and a positive influence on both Catholicism and the world in general.

 

[PureX]

Not everybody cares for the blending of traditions. I remember, years ago, hearing Merton described as a fallen monk who was electrocuted while he was in Thailand to pray with demon worshipers.

It is a very rare Cathoic indeed who would even speak of Buddhists and Hundus as "demon worshipers". If I were you, I wouldn't make too much of such bigoted nonsense. It's not representative of the Catholic Church as a whole.

 

[UnityNow101]

Yeah, it seems to me that his attempt to bridge the gap between Christianity and Eastern thought could only be a positive. There are many things that both have in common and once Thomas Merton realized that, he jumped at the opportunity for inner-faith dialogue, which is a positive improvement upon some of the earlier views held by the church of burning books and condemning people as heretics.

Would we rather some of the hard-nosed evangelists be the face of Christianity, or people such as Merton, who opened up a dialogue and attempted to reason with people of the Eastern religions. He also never gave up the core of his beliefs and always kept Christ as the center point in his way of thinking.

Today, we could use alot more people like Thomas Merton within Christianity. With people like Pat Robertson and Joel Osteen becoming the resounding voices within the faith, a fresh voice on the level of Merton would be greatly welcomed by many. Merton represented what Christianity is supposed to present to the world.

 

[athanasius]

Not all Catholics are so orthodox. And within the church there have been lots of discussion, debate, and controversy over the years. Thomas Merton was one more voice in this onrunning discussion, and he was a very important voice during the 60s, when there was a lot of change happening in the world, and in the Catholic Church. These days, I know of very few Catholics who would not site Merton as a leading modern Catholic theologian and a positive influence on both Catholicism and the world in general.

I'm not talking about individuals in the Church. The 60's was not a especially impressive time for any Christian religion and many of the older pastors can tell you that. Alot of confusion crept in the churches. People began to misinterpret and abuse things liturgically that we we are paying for today. and that is why the Popes have spoken about the reform of the reform . I believe it was the Spirit of the Anti-Christ personally. The only good thing that came out of the 60's was Vatican II. But then people began to misunderstand that. That is why our orthodox schools like Ave Maria now have Masters degrees specializing in true and authentic interpretation of Vatican II theology and practice. I'm talking about the Authoritative Hierarchical Church, the Vatican. The Vatican, and especially the last two popes have always taught and defended orthodoxy. It matters not to me what other "so- called" individual catholics say they believe, if they do not believe in the fundamentals taught by the Vatican and enumerated in the Catechism, they are not being Catholic in practice or mindset and are no better than protestants then. There is no room for Cafeteria catholicism as our current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has said. Its all or nothing! We pray for the dissenters in the church to come home to the fullness of truth.

 

[UnityNow101]

I fail to see how Thomas Merton is not in the fullness of truth? Christ is always his focal point and adoration of his soul. Is he wrong for opening up a dialogue with the Eastern religions and finding common ground where it can be found? To say that there are not similarities between Eastern philosophy and Christianity is really a stretch. Merton noticed this and wanted to bridge the gap between Christianity and Eastern thought.

 

[SageTree]

Bump.

Because I was raised Methodist, wanted to learn to meditate and went to practicing Buddhism nearly from the instant I started reading about it, because I felt it was a practice I was already doing as a Christian, with out the parts I didn't understand. Reading Merton and recently becoming involved with a Catholic Spiritual drop in centre, I've learned even more about Christian meditation and the mystic tradition. Of which I see similarity with the Sufis, that I am familiar with, coincidence, I think not.

I don't know just where I'd fit building wise, but I know that Christianity is still a language of expression I still use for the spirit and a place I look for inspiration. The Buddhist scriptural language is what gets translated in my ears and understanding, which is why the Mystic language has set well with my 'soul' and has given me a way to connect in terminology with the predominantly Christian clients I work with each day. Although!!!! It's usually a "Sutra Summary" that sheds the most Light on the situation.

Thanks for reading and I would LOVE to hear any stories and have links shared to more of this topic.

:namaste
SageTree

 

[uu_sage]

Thomas Merton is one of my favorite Catholic theologians, and I am beginning to read his Book of Hours as one of my spiritual practices.

 

[roger1440]

Has anyone read any of the works by John Merton, the twentieth century trappist monk who wrote many spiritual books and memoirs? I am beginning to read 'Seeds of contemplation' and am wondering if anyone else had read and enjoyed his work?

I have read about four or five of his books including 'Seeds of contemplation' . Check out "The Seven Storey Mountain.". It's his autobiography. It's one of the best selling books of the 20th century.

The Seven Storey Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia