Ben and Liz Burkemper, father and daughter, are fascinated by the figure of Thomas Merton — a prolific writer, Trappist monk, poet, prophet, peace and civil rights activist, theologian, and mystic. Fresh from the latest…
But the whole teaching, the “way” contained in these anecdotes, poems, and meditations, is characteristic of a certain mentality found everywhere in the world, a certain taste for simplicity, for humility, self-effacement, silence, and in…
–Thomas Merton, HHDL Loyola Walter’s apartment Clifton, Cincinnati, Ohio
It’s true There’s no cottage industry feeding off of your collected poems There aren’t 15 young scholars writing dissertations from various disciplines on your life and work There’s not been a single academic conference on…
Thomas Merton is perhaps the single most important American Catholic writer of the 20th century, and his writings continue to remain startlingly relevant today. In this course, we will read and discuss a broad sample…
It’s easy Pay attention Notice little particulars about a person Exactly not the kind of thing that would be announced with fanfare on Facebook It could be her subtle flair for fashion, having a periwinkle…
This poem is pure Allen, Lovable and vain Allen to the end You gotta love him– Evidently, lots of men did Rereading this poem Lights my fire “He taught me how to meditate, now I’m…
Years ago A friend gave me a Thomas Merton book– New Seeds of Contemplation— He inscribed it with the following From poet W.H. Auden: “The funniest and kindest of mortals Are those who are most…
Thich Nhat Hanh. Cultivating the Mind of Love: The Practice of Looking Deeply in the Mayahana Buddhist Tradition. “The best way to touch the Buddha — not to look for a person, a non-person, a…
No one would really confuse a Catholic Worker type with a real ghetto person, and no one would really confuse you with a real impoverished hillbilly. You may identify with them, but they do not…