Abbey-Roads2

Popularly known as Thomas Merton. 

Every once in a while I will re-read some of Thomas Merton’s early writings.  I was never a huge Merton fan, but I usually appreciated what he wrote.  Nevertheless, his writings rarely edified me or moved me to devotion as other spiritual writers had.  Of course his writings are insightful, informative, and provocative, but he seemed to be the antithesis of devotion.  I would guess this is because Merton was more of an intellectual than a mystic, although others will disagree.  Many of his followers consider him a mystic, and of course, they would know better than I do since I haven’t read all of his works.

Having said that, I find Merton much more interesting now that I am older and prayer is dry and crusty.  I was reading snippets of Seeds of Contemplation  at Barnes and Noble the other day.  I think he wrote well of what contemplative prayer is all about - in a practical sort of way.  I didn’t buy the book because I had another one by him at home, Contemplative Prayer - so I decided to read that again first.

The renewal of religious life and prayer.

Almost immediately upon opening the book, I think I could see where Merton began to drift toward Oriental mysticism, in fact his approach to monastic prayer does seem almost Zen-like.  Nevertheless, he was far too intelligent to confuse the two.  I could also see the seeds of religious experimentation in his writing.  In the Introduction and the first chapter he makes a few allusions to the renewal of religious life and experimentation.  It was 1968 and the “cultural upheaval” - as Benedict XVI calls it - was in process.

Merton wrote:  “The purpose of monastic renewal and reform is to find ways in which monks and nuns can remain true to their vocation by deepening and developing it in new ways, not merely sacrificing their lives to bolster up antique structures, but channeling their efforts into the creation of new forms of monastic life, new areas of contemplative experience.”  - Contemplative Prayer

Merton and tradition.

While what he said is true, in hind sight we can see how the “channeling” thing went for not a few religious houses - contemplative or not.  Some communities “sacrificed” the entire structure and today are barely discernible as Roman Catholic institutes.  It is interesting that in his early work, Merton seems to have had little affinity with Oriental styles  of prayer, and especially would have opposed “centering prayer”.  He bristles at the suggestion that the contemplation of the hesychasts of Eastern Orthodox monasticism is similar to yoga.  He wrote:

“Nothing is more foreign to authentic monastic and contemplative tradition in the Church than a kind of gnosticism which would elevate the contemplative above the ordinary Christian by initiating him into a realm of esoteric knowledge and experience, delivering him from ordinary sufferings, elevating him to a privileged state of being, and no longer familiar with the economy of the sacraments, charity, and the Cross.” - Contemplative Prayer

Notice how traditional his understanding of contemplative prayer was.  I think Thomas Merton was very much a traditionalist at heart - but like I said, I’ve never read his later works.