Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Look at Thomas Merton
When things get very busy and I feel frazzled I often think... Hmmm... where is the nearest monastery! I could use a monastic break! This is probably not that uncommon and in the busy world we live in I am sure I am not alone! A cool alternative to going to a monastery is to dive into the writings of some of the great monastic writers. Thomas Merton surely fits the bill. If you haven't read Seven Storey Mountain then I hope you do at some point! It is a book that most Catholics read during the 1960's and 70's and is still powerful today! I hope you look it up and give it a shot. I am sure you will enjoy it! Happy reading! God bless!
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3 comments:
Although Merton was somewhat embarrassed by Seven Storey Mountain in his later years, it remains a wonderful work and one that was very helpful to me during a time in which I was struggling with my faith. Indeed, one of Merton's pivotal religious experiences described in the book prompted me to name my blog Creo en Dios! I explain why here: http://susanjoan.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/i-believe-in-god/
I certainly enjoyed Seven Story Mountain especially as someone also going from atheism to the faith. I also enjoyed most of his books including his diaries published after his death. It is on the later books in his life dealing with Eastern religions that start getting a little iffy.
Yes, I agree, the later writings did drift into different directions but I have not read too much of that. The Seven Storey Mountain remains the classic!
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