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. I've always wanted to read Merton, but this is the first book of his I've read. A beautiful, poignant meditation on humanity's relationship with God and more generally, on humankind's deep need for silence, stillness, and solitude. I deeply respect the way in which Merton bridged the spirituality of east and west! Of no less marvelous prize! Publisher's Summary. Jean Klein Listening. Susan Bauer-Wu Future We Can Love, Are Inner Peace & External Activism Interconnected? Thomas Merton was a 20th century prolific writer, thinker, mystic, and activist. The humble man speaks only in order to be spoken to., What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayer?, A man becomes a solitary at the moment when, no matter what may be his external surroundings, he is suddenly aware of his own inalienable solitude and sees that he will never be anything but solitary., Laziness and cowardice are two of the greatest enemies of the spiritual life., This, then, is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent. Shipping calculated at checkout. Mertons only novel, My Argument with the Gestapo, written in 1941, was published posthumously in 1969. Indeed, The Merton Prayer may have been first written down by him while praying in St. Annes, a tiny chapel-hut at Gethsemani. We have phones that are constantly buzzing and ringing. I love Thomas Merton. Closer and clearer July 2014 It was what made life real and alive. Look, the vast Light stands still Merton challenges us (all of us) to reevaluate our priorities, question our materialism, and seek Truth. He sees silence as "the mother of truth" and as a divine milieu. Elias Amidon Notes Open Path, 3 Wondrous Answers: Miracle of Mindful Presence Thich Nhat Hanh, How Do We Become The Unifying Solution? Susan Bauer-Wu Future We Can Love, Are Inner Peace & External Activism Interconnected? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Can you chip in a few bucks to help out? Usually ready in 2-4 days. This entire piece is courtesy of Trent Gilliss. I cant review this book until Ive read it again. Alan Watts Talking Zen: What Are The Taoist Ways & Its 3 Keys? Instead of doing my usual meditation, I decided to meditate on Merton this morning from your entries. Thomas Merton, a trappist monk, has written the most sublime book on his relationship with God and his life in solitude as a monk. Meditative prayer is a stern discipline, and one which cannot be learned by violence. . THOMAS MERTON Wheels of fire, cosmic, rich, full-bodied honest victories over desperation. Sren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), in his densely packed discourse, The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air, urges us to exercise silence before God. Almaas Nondual Love. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone., The G.O.D Blog: Grace Overcomes Destruction. The first drop of rain Or sees the last star. As a poet, writer, activist, monk, and teacher, Merton touched the lives of many throughout the world. 4.5 out of 5 stars 4.7 out of 5.0 5 Stars 26 4 Stars 3 3 Stars . I'm hoping that it will do the same for you: "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. And for all the tremendous and increasing intensity of my desire to be in the cloister, the thought that I might find myself, instead, in an army camp no longer troubled me in the least. Faith document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Were conducting our annual survey to figure out what subjects matter to YOU. Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a member of a Roman Catholic monastic community that embraced silence, yet he spoke volumes about the most important . Live And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. It's very short, little meditations intended to be used for daily prayer, as Lectio Divina, spiritual reading. Quite good. It is much more than affections, much more than a series of prepared acts which one goes through. The second half was a bit too preachy, though. ~Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude", pp. Jonathan Star, Value Of Silent Life? To wage war against despair unceasingly., Some men turn away from all this cheap emotion with a kind of heroic despairBut this too can be an error. Thoughts in Solitude, a Prayer From Thomas Merton. Error rating book. June 2014, All To keep ourselves spiritually alive we must constantly renew our faith. Thomas Merton. February 27, 2015 The Lenten prayer for this week is written by Trappist monk Thomas Merton. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Heres a short 1:27minute video clip where Richard Rohr talks aboutThomas Merton: And heres Mertonspoem of prayer which might inspire you to read more by him: When no one listens Stream James Martin A Prayer from Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton by On Being Studios on desktop and mobile. It is only by making our knowledge part of ourselves, through action, that we enter into the reality that is signified by our concepts., Those who are not grateful soon begin to complain of everything., The only thing to seek in contemplative prayer is God; and we seek Him successfully when we realize that we cannot find Him unless He shows Himself to us, and yet at the same time that He would not have inspired us to seek Him unless we had already found Him., Words stand between silence and silence: between the silence of things and the silence of our own being. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. But now each short chapter has stars, underlines, and highlights I found compelling and memorable. The Trappists are considered one of the most ascetic of the Roman Catholic monastic orders, and there Merton grew as a mystic and pursued imaginative spiritual quests through dozens of writings. For him, contemplation was the fundamental reality in life. And if there were not evidence of this everywhere in theology, the Mystery of the Incarnation itself would be ample proof of it. Thomas Merton writes: "When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. The spiritually poor man loves his very insufficiency., If we want to be spiritual, then, let us first of all live our lives. Amen sis!! For the grateful man knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. I think I would have liked this book more if it were all prayers. Nondual Love: Can We Awaken To Loving Nature of Reality? Shaped by the End You Live For - Liturgical Press As a thank you for signing up, you'll receive a video we produced that is unavailable anywhere else on the Internet. 1 book view quotes. 1 Corinthians Talks On Nonduality Joan Tollifson, What Is The Longing For Divine Love? LOVE Thomas Merton. I do not see the road ahead of me. (1938) and M.A. As a youth, he largely attended boarding schools in England and France. when I am no longer involved in the measurement of life, And yet we find that the nakedness of reality which we have feared, is neither a matter oft error nor for shame. THOMAS MERTON By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. Let me seek, then, the gift of silence and poverty, and solitude, where everything I touch is turned into prayer: where the sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all. nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. Thomas Merton: A Poem and Prayer On His Birthday Your email address will not be published. Rumi & Kabir Helminski, Tao Te Ching: What is Hidden Yet Shines In Every Corner? Society depends for its existence on the inviolable personal solitude of its members. Corrections? there is effectively, no distraction. For many years he lived alone in a hermitage on the Abbeys grounds. Solitude would remove the distractions of human contact and the To me, the above quote from the very young monk, published in his seventh year at Gethsemani, confirms that he was then already living the precepts of The Merton Prayer, knowing that the Lord was leading him on the right road though that was not at all clear to him as the train lumbered toward the monastery. 2023 Stillness Speaks. Watching the work of God: On December 10, 1941, he entered the Trappist Monastery south of Bardstown, Kentucky, known as The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani. We also want to send our latestarticles, videos, and podcasts via email once per week. We are like pilots of fog: bound steamers, peering into the gloom in front of us, listening for the sounds of other ships, and we can only reach our harbor if we keep alert. Whom I have never seen. Over the years, we've recorded some videos with teachers that until now have only been available on DVD. Thomas Merton Quotes (Author of The Seven Storey Mountain) - Goodreads View store information. I do not see the road ahead of me. Thomas Merton, original name of Father M. Louis, (born January 31, 1915, Prades, Francedied December 10, 1968, Bangkok, Thailand), Roman Catholic monk, poet, and prolific writer on spiritual and social themes, one of the most important American Roman Catholic writers of the 20th century. Detachment is not insensibility. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. "If our life is poured out in useless words, we will never hear anything, never become anything, and in the end, because we have said everything before we had anything to say, we shall be left speechless at the moment of our greatest decision." Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude 87 likes Like "Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat . Five Lenten Meditations (and a Prayer) from Thomas Merton I do not see the road ahead of me. His early works are strictly spiritual, but his writings of the early 1960s tend toward social criticism and touch on civil rights, nonviolence and pacifism, and the nuclear arms race. Deep Relaxing To Calm To Awareness: You Can Try? Religion is a language to access the sacred, and what makes us choose one over another boils down to whether or not it resonates with us personally. I was altogether absorbed in that one idea. Kabir: Why Catch The Supreme Moment? "the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. This completely exceeded my expectations. He formally became a monk in 1941 when he entered the Abbey of Gethsemani, a community of monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), the most ascetic Roman Catholic monastic order.. Text may be shared according to Creative Commons CC By-SA. Thoughts in Solitude is a collection of writings from 1953 and 1954. It is not a manual or how-to on contemplative prayer, as Merton presumes the audience is primarily monks who are being guided by spiritual directors. Sometimes Thomas Merton's words are all I need to hear. One cannot then enter into meditation, in this sense, without a kind of inner upheaval. Laws become prodigals LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. The spiritual life is, then, first of all a matter of keeping awake. My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. Furthermore, the Dalai Lama, who has endured a life of exile, has found that the daily practice of intentional silence fosters gratitude, which he characterizes as one of the four qualities of the heart that lead to joyful living. Fortunately Kim told me to savour it slowly. Here, as elsewhere, compromise is only another name for failure. Oct 27, 2020 11:40AM. It requires unending courage and perseverance, and those who are not willing to work at it patiently will finally end in compromise. Thomas Merton on Solitude and Togetherness - Audible.com Merton's work is beyond profound, yet so still beautifully human. I cannot know for certain where it will end. In 1935, he enrolled at Columbia University in New York. If any visitor has such information, please do contact us Thank You. The poem brought tears to my eyes this morning. "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. Text may be shared according to Creative Commons CC By-SA. I had done everything that was in my power; the rest was in His hands. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Some days, I know exactly what God wants from me; others I am completely clueless and perhaps thats OK. A great book, though a bit preachy at times. Learn more in our Cookie Policy. A Prayer from Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton - SoundCloud Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton | Goodreads Stillness Speaks Teacher page for Thomas Merton will be coming soon. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. The gate at Gethsemani, which reads in bold permanent print GOD ALONE, was indeed opened to Merton, and he lived there for the next twenty-seven years. This post is an edited and enhanced version of a 2010 Stillness Speaks post. I found that even as a non-christian, I could understand most of Merton's message in the first half. The further I advance into solitude the more clearly I see the goodness of all things., To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us and He has given us everything. We welcome your donations to keep this project thriving. If it isnt, then the language may be too much for you. Wait, My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. Two shadows in the valley The spirituality of Thomas Merton, like Saint Augustine, emerged out of a life that was truly lived in every sense of the word. I feel this 100%! Thomas Merton's Prayer - Crossroads Initiative My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. We must always be able to respond to the slightest warnings that speak, as though by a hidden instinct, in the depth of the soul that is spiritually alive. The prayer below from theologian and Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968) as found in his book, Thoughts in Solitude (1958) is a beautiful reminder of this truth, and a much-needed, soothing remedy for anxious souls during this unprecedented time. We live as spiritual men when we live as men seeking God. And just for clarity's sake, the subject of his prayer is Jesus: "Why should I want to be rich, when You were poor? We know, by fresh discovery, the deep reality that is our concrete existence here and now The hermit is one who knows the mercy of God better than other men because his whole life is one of complete dependence, in silence and in hope, upon the hidden mercy of our Heavenly Father. If we want to be spiritual, then, let us first of all live our lives. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Laju, this prayer is posted on my wall and also near the front door. The Contemplative Writer provides daily prayer practices and soul care for writers. Especially the part Meagan pointed out, thanks for sharing :). If this is your spiritual tradition, I highly recommend it. Thomas Merton writes: When society is made up . for God is all in all. but in the living of it. But when men are violently deprived of the solitude and freedom which are their due, then society in which they live becomes putrid, it festers with servility, resentment and hate., There is no greater disaster in the spiritual life than to be immersed in unreality, for life is maintained and nourished in us by our vital relation with realities outside and above us., It is not speaking that breaks our silence, but the anxiety to be heard. Thanks for sharing this. I too find the Divine in the Everyday. For if our emotions really die in the desert, our humanity dies with them., For true humility is, in a way, a very real despair: despair of myself, in order that I may hope entirely in You., As soon as you are really alone you are with God., The whole of life is to spiritualize our activities by humility and faith, to silence our nature by charity., The proud man loves his own illusion and self-sufficiency. The Merton Prayer, first published in 1958, was likely created by Merton during his early years at the monastery, in the mid-1940s, during his well-known search for more solitude. This is already a Favorite. Thomas Merton. Great job with the blog. Hold me in Thy Hand! He was ordained a priest in 1949. The sun in the pool. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis. You can update your choices at any time in your settings. Enjoy this short video tribute to Thomas Merton: Stillness Speaks Teacher pages for Thomas Merton and Richard Rohrincluding the Traditions page for Christianity will be coming soonand as is typical of our Teacher pages, it will provide a comprehensive view about theirbackground, and work. Almaas Nondual Love. Librarian note: there is an alternate cover edition of this book here. (January 31, 1915 - December 10, 1968) was an American Catholic writer and mystic. One cloud upon the hillside, About Thomas Merton - The Merton Prayer It absolutely boggles my mind to think what the world might have missed had his road taken him into the military and not the cloister at Gethsemani. Thomas Merton "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. Ten circles upon the pond. Cowardice keeps us double minded hesitating between the world and God., What we venerate in the Saints, beyond and above all that we know is this secret; the mystery of an innocence and of an identity perfectly hidden in God., To really know our nothingness we must also love it. That is how we must pray, full of humility and meekness. Thoughts in Solitude, a Prayer From Thomas Merton To be a person implies responsibility and freedom, and both these imply a certain interior solitude, a sense of personal integrity, a sense of ones own reality and of ones ability to give himself to society or to refuse that gift., When men are merely submerged in a mass of impersonal human beings pushed around by automatic forces, they lose their true humanity, their integrity, their ability to love, their capacity for self-determination. The world of silence in which I am immersed contributes to my prayer. To trample it down under hope in the Cross. Renew your prayer life with Thomas Merton. 2815 36th St NW, Washington DC 20007, Tel: 202.333.4730Fax: 202.625.7173office@saintsophiadc.com, 2020 Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Service of Preparation for Holy Communion. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. ^^^^ I LOVE THAT PART!!! Merton is able to put into wordsthings that I didn't know had words. It may be that they lack generosity, and it may also be that they lack direction and experience, and go about it the wrong way. I picked up this book because I had been introduced to a prayer of Merton's which I found extremely moving. His diaries, social commentary, and spiritual writings continue to be widely read after his untimely death in 1968. wow. Thomas Merton is here to remind us all of the beautiful value of solitude and silence. I loved steeping slowly in this book, walking through Merton's thoughts on solitude. Thou inward Stranger Prayer is then not just a formula of words, or a series of desires springing up in the heartit is the orientation of our whole body, mind and spirit to God in silence, attention, and adoration. Mysterion, Rumi & Kabir Helminski, True Meditation Is Awareness? Please give us two to three minutes to fill in this survey and well send you two free gifts.