Thomas Merton

Excerpts from 'Devotional Classics' edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith Thomas Merton (1915-1968) Introduction to the Author Born is Prades, France, Thomas Merton had a trying and painful childhood. His mother dies when he was 6 and his father after moving numerous times dies when Thomas was 15. In his early teens and twenties Thomas led a prodigal, sensual life in his search for fulfillment. In his mid-twenties Thomas experienced a profound conversion while attending Columbia University and he joined the Roman Catholic church. At the age of 26 he entered the Gethsemene Abbey in Kentucky where he would live his life out as a Trappist monk. In 1948 he published 'The Seven Storey Mountain' an autobiography that mirrored the spiritual climate of the times. Merton went on to write many more books that have made a significant impact on the face of Western spirituality. Some criticize his attempts to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western spirituality but he never surrendered his belief in the importance of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Merton also held a delicate balance between the inner and outer life - of contemplation and action. The following is an excerpt from a little book he wrote for monks but it contains priceless wisdom for all who would dare to go deeper in their spiritual life. Excerpts from 'Contemplative Prayer' 1. Magical Methods In meditation, we should not look for a 'method' or a 'system' but cultivate and 'attitude' and 'outlook' : faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, supplication, trust, joy. All these finally permeate our being with love in so far as our living faith tells us we are in the presence of God, that we live in Christ, that in the Spirit of God we 'see' God the Father without seeing. Faith is the bond that unites us with Him in the Spirit who gives us light and love. Some people have a gift for meditation while most have to work hard at it. There are ways of meditation but one should not look for a magical method to begin and continue in meditation. 2. Hardship in Prayer Meditation is difficult. But we should not judge the value of our meditation in how we feel. A hard and apparently fruitless meditation may in fact be much more valuable than one that is easy, happy, enlightened and apparently a big success. There is a movement in meditation. A descent into our own nothingness, a recognition of helplessness, frustration, infidelity, confusion, ignorance. 3. Guiding the Beginner Humility and docile acceptance of sound advice are very necessary in the life of prayer. A spiritual director is someone who is capable of guiding the beginner in the ways of prayer. Such a one should be listened to and obeyed. (mentoring, discipling) The work of a spiritual director consists not so much in teaching us a secret and infallible method for attaining esoteric experiences but in showing us how to recognize God's grace and His will, how to be humble and patient, how to develop insight into our own difficulties and how to remove the main obstacles keeping us from becoming people of prayer. 4. The Tricks of the Spiritual life. There are no tricks in the spiritual life. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth. Those who image that they can discover some spiritual gimmick and put it to work for themselves usually ignore God's will and His grace. they are self confident and ever self complacent. 5. A Walk in the Desert Another problem is spiritual inertia, inner confusion and lack of confidence. This may be the case of one who has had a satisfactory beginning experience with meditation only to experience the inevitable let-down which comes when the life of meditation gets serious. What was at first easy and rewarding suddenly comes to be utterly impossible. The mind no longer works: the imagination and the emotions wander away; sometimes they run wild. At this point prayer becomes dry, desolate and often unconscious fantasies take over. Moreover ones inner life of prayer often becomes a desert which lacks all interest whatsoever. Meditation has no point unless it is rooted in life. Read: Psalm 39 Reflection 1. Describe your previous experiences with meditation 2. Merton speaks harshly against those who would try to draw near to God through a system or a method. In what ways have you tried to manipulate God through 'magical methods'? 3. What is wrong with looking for spiritual tricks or shortcuts to spiritual growth? 4. Merton felt that Psalm 39 was a good example of how our life before God can become a kind of descent into our own nothingness, of frustration, a recognition of helplessness. Have you ever felt helpless and frustrated in your spiritual life? 5. Do you have a 'spiritual director' (mentor/discipler)? Do you sense the need for one? Is there someone you could ask to disciple/mentor you? What is keeping you from asking them? 6. Set aside 15 minutes a day for solitude and meditation. relax from strain and stress and simply rest in God's presence. 7. Merton believes that we need to develop an 'attitude' in our life before God. He lists eight attitudes that unite us to God. During your times of reflection/meditation, choose one of these attitudes and nurture it by concentrating on offering short simple prayers. For example: faith: Lord, I believe in you. I know you can do all things...