Tag Archives: Thomas Merton

Merton on Mercy

From Chapter 11 of No Man Is An Island: We can have the mercy of God whenever we want it, by being merciful to others: for it is God’s mercy that acts on them, through us, when He leads us … Continue reading

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Pope Francis on Thomas Merton

Pope Francis addressed Congress and all of the United States earlier today. I laud House Speaker Boehner for this initiative. The Holy Father lauded Thomas Merton for his “capacity for dialogue and openness to God” as well as his “contemplative … Continue reading

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Merton in Advent, 1948

Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain was probably the first or second spiritual book I ever read, way back in my college days. I’m not a Merton fan(atic) like some people I know. You readers who read me carefully know … Continue reading

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Selfishness and Peace

An ethic of barely disguised selfishness is no longer a Christian ethic. Nor can we afford to raise this to the national level and assume that the world will adjust itself if every nation seeks its own advantage before everything … Continue reading

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Thomas Merton on Prayer and Sacrifice

During the Peace Vigil (noon to five in my central US afternoon), I’d like to post hourly on things I’ve found this past week in my reading and research for materials. Why do Catholics pray, and especially fast? What good … Continue reading

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Fire Watch

Jerry Ryan posts on Thomas Merton’s essay “Fire Watch” at dotCommonweal. I read Robert Barron somewhere also praising this epilogue to The Sign of Jonas. For me, several years ago, revisiting this writing was less about content and more about … Continue reading

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