Thomas Merton

[pjotr]

Dear Jeanne and Bonobo,

This weekend, saturday I visited the Norbertine Berne Abbey in Heeswijk-Dinther for a meeting of my Ecumenic group Ruach (ruach (רוּחַ rûaħ; "breath" or 'spirit' in Hebrew). In the afternoon there was a wonderful lecturte about Thomas Merton an American Catholic writer and mystic. Do you know him?

He is universal and is an example and spiritual example for Roman-Catholics and others all over the world. He also inspired Protestant christians. The guy who gave the lecture was of the Dutch Reformed Chruch, Protestant Church in the Netherlands. He was so inspired by this Roman-Catholic mystic that he wrote a novel about him and translated books about him.


Thomas Merton



Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was an American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis.

Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of World War II veterans, students, and even teenagers flocking to monasteries across the US, and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, the Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki, the Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and authored books on Zen Buddhism and Taoism. In the years since his death, Merton has been the subject of several biographies.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton



















It was a very inspiring lecture, I learned a lot an I bought a few books about Merton in the Abbey's book store. The abbey has become and important place in my life. I have very good contact with the Nortbertine monks. There are three of them in our group. Most members of the group are women. Often Roman-Catholic and Dutch reformed theologians, and religious councillors in Nursing homes and hospitals.

Cheers,
Pieter

[jeanne]

Pieter,

Yes, I do know of Thomas Merton and have read a few of his works. I'm glad that you learned about him at your monthly get-together at Berne Abbey. Enjoy the books that you bought! (I've been wondering who you would learn about this month!)

I liked the pictures you posted on Jaga's forum along with this article. I was happy to see what Berne Abbey looks like and it did fulfill my expectations of a traditional European abbey. I also liked the picture of Thomas Merton's hermitage. When my daughter was living in West Virginia, which is near the state of Kentucky where Thomas Merton's monastery was, we visited Christ on the Mountain Monastery which was a Carmelite monastery. The hermitages there looked similar to Thomas Merton's hermitage. Appearance-wise, I prefer the European style! American style can sometimes be a bit too "rustic!"

p.s. Maybe you would post those pictures of the Abbey and the hermitage here??

[pjotr]

Images of the Abbey of Berne in Heeswijk-Dinther, which is by the way the oldest abbey of the Netherlands:








The interior of the church of the abbey of Berne








The lovely bookstore of the abbey


The Abbot of the Abbey of Berne, Denis Hendrickx, with the beer of the abbey, which is brewn in Belgium by Belgian monks








This monk and priest Piet van Dongen is part of our Ruach group. He is 80 years old and just celebrated his 50 years of priesterhood. Today he works with refugees and he just turned back from a trip to Macedonia to learn about Orthodox christian mysticism, piousness, monastries, churches and faith.


The abbey is open to people and invites young and old people, Roman-Catholics, Protestant christians and others. It is an open order.


The garden of the abbey with bees

[jeanne]

Pieter,

Thank you for posting these images! They are a feast for my eyes!Going there for your Ruach must be a lovely experience.

[pjotr]

Dear friends,



I am presently reading a very good Dutch translation of New Seeds of Contemplation of the American Catholic writer and mystic Thomas Merton. Part of understanding Trinity, the core of the Christian faith and the entities of the Trinity; the Father (God, Jahweh, Lord), the son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirt, is by complentation, prayer and meditation.


In New Seeds of Contemplation Merton equates the unique "thingness" of a thing, its inscape, to sanctity. Merton writes,

"No two created beings are exactly alike. And their individuality is no imperfection. On the contrary, the perfection of each created thing is not merely its conformity to an abstract type but in its own individual identity with itself."

The result is that holiness itself is grounded in God's creation, his call, and not in a Greek ideal. To the extent that any "thing" (including humans) honors God's unique idea of them they are holy. Holiness thus connects to "vocation" (from the Latin vocare for "voice") in two ways. First, God creates through the word; and second, when being responds rightly to God's speech by expressing his unique word the result is Holiness.

Source: Wikipedia



Book Review: “New Seeds of Contemplation” by Thomas Merton

February 21, 2008

Honoring the feelings of uncertainty is the beginning of courageously embarking on a journey of discernment with God in oneself. The discerning spirit is plagued and blessed with a litany of unknowns amidst a world that projects stark clarity. Daring to live in the spirit by going against the grain of mainstream society enables a vessel to form that asks: How is my life reflecting Christ in the world? What am I doing for Christ? And, what will I do for Christ?

In print for more than forty years, New Seeds of Contemplation has served as a guide to the contemplative life for several generations of spiritual seekers. The thirty-nine short "seeds" that make up this book are intended to awaken and cultivate the contemplative, mystical dimension of the spiritual path for everyone. New Seeds of Contemplation is a revised and expanded version of Merton's earlier book, Seeds of Contemplation.

What is the intent of a book if not "to awaken the dormant inner depths of the spirit so long neglected by Western man, to nurture a deep contemplative and mystical dimension in our spiritual lives." Merton has offered a goal that welcomes readers and seekers into a realm that nurtures and challenges contemplation in oneself that grows into further action.

So, what is contemplation and maybe more importantly, what is not contemplation? He says that contemplation cannot be described, only pointed to or hinted at. He goes on to say that the "I" we feel we are, the one who does all the things we do, is not the true self. We can only really arrive at who we are without thought. We are told everything contemplation is not, basically naval gazing or emotional religious feeling or losing the self in movements like totalitarianism. He describes contemplation as an anguished and tormenting fire that burns away every thought and concept, leading to a realization that the contemplative "no longer knows what God is." The contemplation the reader is invited to undertake is the contemplation of the Lord in relation to the priorities by which one lives life.

Therefore, the word contemplation is itself somewhat problematical for Thomas Merton: "It can become almost a magic word, or if not magic, then 'inspirational,' which is almost as bad." In this modern Christian classic, Merton reveals contemplation to be nothing other than "life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive."

Though he may have been clear and concise, the knowing of contemplation did not leave Merton above the struggles of finding authentic relationship with God. Merton struggled. He struggled as we all do to find relationship with God and with fellow humans that honored the divine. Merton wrestles with renewing his daily life and challenges the reader to radically renew his or her own life. Merton has the gift of being able to challenge the stability that so many of us cling to. He warns of the dangers of such a life where you sit content with your ideas of yourself as a good person. The significance placed on humility is a constant reminder that we are of God, in Christ and with the Spirit at all times.

It is here, in the midst of coming to practice contemplation, coming to be contemplative, that we can come to know the “I” that is in relationship with Christ and not limited to the mortal “I” that is of the world. The “I” that is the given body of Christ dwelling in each living person is the “I” that brings awareness of relationship that contributes to the harmony of the world. Here is another challenge from Merton: We are called to be in the world and not of the world. Being in the world versus being of the world offers a space of freedom that Merton builds from. It is essential for Merton that the contemplative soul be rooted in the knowledge of self with God so fully that the structure of belief and the tools of having faith do not resemble structure and tools, rather a liberation of self that allows the self to “fall into immense depths, which, although they are infinite, are accessible to all.” Preventing access to the liberating ends of God’s infinitude is the difference between living in fear and living in freedom. Trust in God that results in the absolute trust of self with God is the freedom of living in the spirit, being guided by the spirit to reflect Christ in the world.

The path to God, in Merton's eyes, can take place in an instant, or over many years of struggle. The struggle is never really to unite with God himself, since God loves all of us dearly and wants the most intimate union with each and every one of us, but rather in letting go of every aspect of our selfishness and egoism which makes us turn from God and to our own power and resources, the part which happily says I can do it all on my own, I don't need you, to God. This in Merton's view is the fruit of original sin, the rule of the 'false self' of the ego over our 'true self', which is our own image, made in the image of God himself.

In a space of liberation and absolute trust in God, whether we are experiencing joy or sadness, we can come to know Merton’s charge that Christianity is revolutionary. Merton was troubled by what he saw as the de-sacralization of the world. Humans had traded in their roles as workers and creators to become tools of production and profit. Can we not say the same today? He places heavy importance on the traditionalism of the church, calling it essential but also says Christian tradition "is something absolutely opposed to human traditionalism." The revolutionary aspect is the call to be poor, live with the despised and love and serve others. He calls out the fallacy of political revolution, saying that in the end "the situation will be essentially the same as before: there will be a minority of strong men in power exploiting all the others for their own ends. There will be the same greed and cruelty and lust and ambition and avarice and hypocrisy as before." To Merton, the only real change is when we each wake up to the God that all minds and spirits exist in.

Merton is challenging, he is engaging and, if given the opportunity, has the ability to transform personal spirituality into a revolutionary act of following a Christ that embodies love and challenges a society that does not embrace but controls. Merton embodies the questions of unknowing and offers “seeds” that may not be able to answer questions but absolutely will give roots to questions that will grow into answers as contemplation flourishes and welcomes the spirit.

Peace be with you.

By Katie Cranor

Katie is a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union.