I am not a Catholic (I was raised Protestant, studied Buddhism and meditation for some time), but I would love to see a cause for canonization of Thomas Merton. His spiritual depth is unprecedented for somebody living in that time period, as was his desire to encompass and penetrate into the human experience, and the commonalities that we all share. Which is more important right now than ever.
"But how do you go around telling people that they're shining like the sun?" I remember this feeling as well, when contemplating the Holy Eucharist some time ago, being connected to everyone...everyone. past present future. And how difficult it was to express this to people. It can't be expressed.
you have to be carefull explaining your contemplative experiences they can come across very differently to others as they appear to you. I havemade this mistake to mcost in the past
it is best to share these experiences only with a close friend in the spritual life, and to keep it secret from others. Instead of inspiring people as it has yourself, the dualistic mind immediately grabs onto it and turns the story into something else. So best to keep it private.
But such views of Reality do exist. I experienced an actual, physical vision of God’s presence pervading absolutely everything, with my eyes wide open & being fully awake. There’s a section (27:38 to 28:47) in another video of Thomas Merton recordings, (in his own words), that describes his experiences of this. A glimpse behind the veil that makes our regular daily view of the world seem to be just a beautiful mask. And the God that is seen is as real as looking at this screen now - no metaphors. And what’s revealed, (what’s felt), can only be described as total Love - as God. I don’t have a spiritual confidant to confide in so please share your experiences. Thanks, Phill.
I have just read the Seven Story Mountain and am just beginning on New Seeds of Contemplation. I thought it was fascinating how he came to Catholicism. He seemed to come to it through beauty, aesthetic although not without intellect. The importance of the concept of God as Being rather a being. This concept is in harmony with his ideas on contemplation and eastern religion.
Keri Ford I am trying to read the Seeds of Contemplation, I just don’t understand why people think its such a great book. The writing is so abstract to me ... Just when I think Im going to grasp “ contemplative prayer” the sentences are so wordy I get lost What am.i not getting? I appreciate Merton and his stance on social justice. Ive gone to Gethsemani in KY, located his grave.. the abbey is so peaceful... I didn’t want to leave ..
more beautiful rubbish on the path to hell i think nothing better than the bible in all honesty, fr martin isa liar merton is not a catholic saint, just a clever monk
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
There is no doubt Merton broke his vows; sometimes while reading his last journal as he equivocates, justifies, and argues with himself it feels maddening. Often I wanted to shake him and say, "C'mon Tom, listen to what you are saying!! What would you say to me if I came to you with this situation, or one of your novices did??" But in the end he is honest with himself and reaffirms his monastic commitment. I am a hermit largely because of his book Contemplation in a World of Action.
Back in the day, a friend dated a girl who had a favorite saint. She said her prayers to this saint had been answered. By and bye the church came out with a list of saints for which no proof existed that they ever existed. And, you guessed it, her favorite was on the list.
I found Merton through the poetry of Daniel Berrigan. The first book I read was his "The Way of Chang Tzu", in a time as a young adult when I had been lapsed for many years, but following a spiritual path that had led me to Taoism and Buddhism. Merton's writing was like a thunderbolt in my life- I read his journals and poetry, but it was his "New Seeds of Contemplation" that brought me back to an adult understanding of my faith, and the return to being a practicing Catholic.
There is a point in contemplative development where for some people, energy and further development are blocked unless you come into an intimate trusting and loving relationship with the opposite sex. It is as if you are frozen, and you will die spiritually and intellectually if that inner psychic energy is not moved, opened and freed thru loving emotionally and physically. For some people celibacy is a possibility all the time, but the inner heart seems to know when, for others, an opening, a shift in energy flow needs to occur for there to be deeper development. Thus we see that many masters have taken consorts for short or long periods of time. The heart just knows what it needs. And then it can return to the path of celibacy without further obstruction. It seems to be a point for some physical systems, where maturation cannot occur without sexual and emotional involvement. For such a person, breaking a vow is not necessarily what is happening, but continuing on the path of development is what is happening. That opening, maturation, is what allows really solid celibacy and development to occur in the future. This is what tantric techniques are for and tantric techniques can allow this shift in subtle energy with many different approaches to it, for layers of reality are all contained within our energy system. This knowledge is lost to Christianity at the present time but still exists elsewhere if you care to import it back in. At that time, if the development is sincere, situations will manifest the consort and the interaction will be of mutual benefit for everyone. We are working with the mind and body. We cannot suppress either, but develop both into well-rounded humanity. This point appears over and over again in the lives of so many contemplatives and spiritually dedicated people. How they make their choices seems to directly affect the outcomes of their practice and their ability to interact with the world. Just being in love, by itself, is very instructive for the contemplative life.
@28105wsking This is a very succinct point to make. And it's highly unlikely that there wouldn't have been a strong over-arching ans deep sense of love within that physical union of opposites; unlike the physical relationships Merton had in his youth. And you are correct, sexuality and sexual energies at the spiritual level arw lost entirely on the Christian mind... "Saint" Paul has a lot to answer for. When you read the words of "Saint" Paul on marriage and what constitutes fornication, he clearly states in the bible that he his speaking on his own ideas here and *not* Gods. Ergo he does not speak of spiritual concepts on these issues but only the carnal and the practical, but still Christians just run head first with bad ideas that then block spiritual energies in harmful ways. They continually make the mistake of assuming to *know* the mind of God or what is needed for every person. I'm currently attending a Presbyterian church, and it's evident just how lacking in insight and spiritual wisdom they are due to the constraints of relying purely on gospel and doctrine alone.
Tom Merton knew that God reached him through his brokenness. Through the major cracks, God's light poured in!! When Tom fell in love with the nurse…this was God's way of helping him to heal in his previous broken relationships with women. God's ways are not our ways….Thank God!!
The best line on Merton came from the psychiatrist, Gregory Zilborg: "You want to sit in the middle of Times Square with a neon sign over your head that reads: Hermit."
Thomas Merton inspires me to this day. Sometimes, I just take down one of his books, open it, and start reading. I recently bought one of his journals at a thrift store, and it is fascinating. I also like Seeds of Contemplation... and Life and Holiness. Too bad the Church has forgotten, ignored, or abandoned him in favor of less spiritual writers. He was no apologist. He was a seeker... of the knowledge and love of God.
The current Pope seems to like him. I have just read the Seven Storey Mountain, I liked it I'm looking forward to reading what he has to say on contemplation..
Great video. My Holy Week retreat this year was at Gethsemani and I was moved by the spirit of Merton there... This brief video expresses his impact on this remarkable Jesuit confrere, Jim Martin... Two great writers... What a blessing for me and for all of us who have encountered both.
He never consummated the relationship with the nurse, but he came close. That's when he went to his abbott & confessed & decided to break it off with her.
Thanks for pointing that out. Many people would have walked away with the wrong conclusions without knowing what actually happened. It was more of an affair of the heart than some torrid fling. I wish Fr. Martin had made that distinction.
How about you read about it and then we could have a discussion--if you really want to. I don't much care. Clearly he was sinful--do you care if he was physically Getting it On?
he's actually not a saint of the church another falsehood perpetrated on the people by fr martin the apostles were simple fishermen who did and later wrote amazing difficult TRUTHS read them instead of this idiot, God Bless fr martin is a heretic and apostate who twists the bible to suit his agenda, wake up
Thomas Merton attracted me a lot in my younger days as a religious. I know not why. I must read again his journal”The Intimate Merton” to find out more what in him attracted me so much.
This was amazing. Thank you so much. Sometimes I'm so hard on myself and really struggle to forgive myself. This helped me. Even a saint broke his religious vows and did wrong and still was a saint. This ironically helps me feel better about myself. God always find a way to turn wrong into good.
Depressed, I found a collection of Merton's photographs on the photography section shelves of the Wichita Public Library, and identified with the black and white, shadows, looked in fly leaf, list of his books. First on list, Seven Story Mountain. It changed my life. John Wren
My initial feelings are mixed. Arguing with his abbott, apparent desires for fame, and sadly breaking his monastic vow of celibacy all lean against a virtuous life.
I was mixed too, but then I remembered: no one is perfect, which includes perfectly virtuous except Jesus! We are all tempted. Our job is to learn, and learn, and learn, and grow toward more holiness - but we will never be perfect.
I have mixed feelings regarding Father James Martin, SJ, because he is a proponent of the LGBTQ agenda in the Catholic Church, which clearly in conflict with Catholic teaching. We are taught by the Church to “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but Father Martin believes that homosexuality is natural in some people, that they were created thus by God, and therefore sodomy is no sin. Putting this aside, however, I also believe that in narrating this video and expressing his own admiration of Thomas Merton, Father Martin reveals his truly idealistic, Christian side. (He also edited a collection of essays on Catholic saints whose title I don’t recall-something like My Friends, the Saints-in which he also gives credit to various holy men and women for fostering his vocation.) The main subject of the video however is not Father Martin, but rather Thomas Merton and Gethsemani Abbey, and these two are iconic in American Catholicism. The video reminds us that, as in the person of Merton, Catholicism in the United States is a coming together of liberalism and conservatism, and that these two strains give the faith its ever-youthful zeal in the United States.
The thing is that homosexual act is a sin but if someone considers himself homosexual but is not practicing his homosexuality he/she is perfectly fine and he/she is not sinful... Of course homosexuality is one form of distorted sexuality, I know those people are struggling and they think it's not unfair, but it's unfortunate many of them became like that because of they lacked mother or father, I respect homosexual I hope Jesus can touch their hearts. It's not important what other people think but they need to understand for them it's not act that God loves but He still loves them, they can't imagine how much...
From my understanding, this man is not a saint. Fr. John Hardon did not have nice things to say about this man. Bring electrocuted is poetic? I don't get It, he is living monastic life on the outside? I am confused.
***** Exactly, which is why one turns to Christ and let's Him take over. Christ can't make a saint if that soul is combative and refuses to listen to His superiors. Humility plays the greatest role in any saint. Without it, nothing can happen. The will must be given to God.
Anne Baartz I know that. You are ignoring what I said. A religious takes the vow of obedience and he was a monastic monk. One in the monastic life does not travel and dabble in eastern religions. He also took a vow of obedience, but had disagreements with his Superior. That is all I am saying.
Anne Baartz No I disagree. One takes the vow of obedience. Not obedience to your own conscience. I am saying that Thomas Morton did His own thing. He was in a monastic order. They are hidden in life of prayer. Morton was a convert. He dabbed in mystical eastern religions.
CORRECTION father martin Merton’s American mother, Ruth, who would die of cancer when Thomas was only six, was a Quaker and an artist, though a less ambitious one than his father, Owen who died in 1931
This is Fr. James Martin, the same man who recently said on Twitter: "Catholics need not be wary of June's #PrideMonth It’s a way for LGBT people to be proud that they are beloved children of God, they have families who love them as they are, and they have a right to be treated with "respect, compassion and sensitivity" after years of persecution." - June 2 2018 (Twitter @JamesMartinSJ) He also said: "Not every #PrideMonth event will be to everyone's taste, but the underlying point-" - June 2 2018 So apparently, half-naked, three-quarters naked and all but naked men dancing on floats made in the shape of genitalia,waving and wearing accoutrements also depicting genitalia, while grinding on one another and more...is somehow a subjective expression of "LGBT people [being] proud that they are beloved children of God," and that "Catholics need not be wary of June's #PrideMonth". As a Catholic man, in my opinion, I find this statement willfully scandalizing and see no mark of the Church in this "priest's" remarks. June is merely one month amongst many. It seems every month is Gay Pride Month. No matter. The emphasis for the Faithful should be to pay attention to the infiltration locally and within dioceses writ large within Christendom and to educate one another with the mountain of knowledge and information the Church has accrued in 2000 years. That means understanding the socio-cultural implications as well as the philosophical and theological entailments. There are capable priests who do not endorse this man's opinion or apprehension concerning the objective amoral expression of pride vis a vis the Church Christ founded. Remember, all we have to do is what the Lord instructs us to do one day at a time.
yes i totally agree we have to fight back against this, its a pity you didn't put this comment at the top of the page so people can see it, i am going to leave comments everywhere i come across him could you do the same please, maybe we save some poor souls. God Bless
Morningstar, Christ's peace to you. I thought I had posted the comment at the top. I'll know for next time. Re: Martin...Yes, it's become even more apparent in light of the recent tragedies how necessary the layity (myself included) need to provide ongoing opinion with courage.
It's a relief to read opinions like yours on this site. I wandered into from a genuine catholic one. But this jesuitical progressive gets a lot of followers
He was the abbot's confessor. I don't believe the abbott was ever his confessor. Later--just happened to be reading Merton on spiritual direction, and he says, "Todya the superior is forbidden to hear the confession of his subjects except in certain rare cases."
Please purchase a booklet called LITURGICAL SHIPWRECK 25 years of the NEW MASS by Michael Davies. also, first of all WHO really cares about Father Thomas Merton
Father! Let me understand something! How in ... I mean!... how is it POSSIBLE that you went from an "engineer (or whatever) at G.E." to become a Jesuit?? PS. I'm sure it's no easy "transition"...
What's the difference between a saint and a personality. Light years. Merton was a saint for the SNL generation. Somebody who could write beautifully and gratify his inner child. Fr. Martin is a true simpleton.
Fr. Martin asks, "who is Thomas Merton?" Merton was a man on the road to sainthood until Satan distracted him into a sexually obsessed relationship with a woman. And, an admirer of Merton, it was painful to watch, most especially his written justifications for remaining in this obsession, not turning away from it as all the saints have done since the Church was founded. And having a depth-understanding of what Merton went through, I'm certain he is in heaven, because he did repent, I was told. But don’t expect any repentance from Fr. Martin in his rabid attempt at sexualizing children by assigning to them one of Satan’s many sexual identities he designed as the fastest way to destroy the souls of chldren.
Thomas Merton please pray for the conversions of Fr.James Martin. The church has paid for his education, insurance, ect. But he is Pro-gay and gives out bad information about the real teachings of the Catholic Church. A wolf in sheep clothing. Check out the video 8 reasons to stay way from father Martin. you tube
Who cares about Thomas Merton? Catholics don't promote Buddhism. Thomas Merton is an example of how the devil can pull you away from your real duty as a Priest of Jesus Christ.
And do you suppose God is not within all people? He's our Father and Jesus is His son and we are all His children and brothers and sisters of Jesus. Merton went to Thailand to learn more from Buddhists about quieting himself to deepen his prayer and contact with Our Lord. A life-long Catholic, I read Seven Storey Mountain and my faith greatly expanded as did my love of the Catholic Church.
Thomas Merton wanted to be totally free of all the guilt and shame for the indiscretions he had committed in the past and even during his life as a priest and a monk. He explored some exotic Eastern religions which dialectically opposed to Christianity. In his speeches and literary works, Merton denied the doctrine of original sin and believed that the SELF is the way to salvation and negated the saving grace of Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection. These and more heretical views served only his purpose: to free himself from the constraints of the immutable laws of Christianity and the rules of his monastic order (for he was above it). But he kept falling time and time again on the same sins he had despised so much in his youth: the sins of the flesh. He wanted to ran away and hide from it all but it seemed they followed him wherever he went like his own shadow. And it made him miserable and distraught. By rationalizing his thoughts and behavior and reinterpreting the doctrines of the Faith, he felt he was free at last. He believed it was part of God's plan and mercy towards him that he did what he did and became the person that he was. Or to put it in another way, "I should not be blamed for what I did. The devil made me do it". Not accountable, not responsible. Just like Lucifer, PRIDE before the FALL.
Debunk his lies join the revolution and become a keyboard knight fighting for catholic truth follow him on social media and reveal the truth to his poor hoodwinked LGBQT victims
I wandered into this site from a genuine Catholic one, and knowing all about Fr Martin's heretical views, I was saddened to see the numbers who visit his site. Thankfully, many of the comments show that not everyone is swallowing his poison
+Tricia D: Wow! Have YOU ever read anything written by Merton? MODERN so called christians are very quick to label and believe THEY know everything. YOU of course, are saved FOR SURE, right? Do you know how he lived? How do YOU live? YOUR rampant disrespect toward this good man shows how lacking of Love you are toward your fellow humans. But then, I forgot: YOU are saved for sure, so Who CARES about Merton, AND the rest of us, for that matter?! Right Tricia?
Jesuits for Merton? Jesuits are SO Communist, but is that SO wrong? Too be continued, because most of the world is Communist, but they don't know it. Communist is in many ways Christ-like, but most don't know it. Communist Merton realizes that we are all equal, working for each other, working for the good of each other.
P.E. Gottrocks , communists are without spiritual direction. For them, all is for the good of the state, such as distribution of wealth and goods. Merton disavowed all he owned to attain spiritual purity.
For a different view of Merton, from someone who's read him for more than 60 years, see dorothydayworker.blogspot.com/2022/05/thomas-merton-rebel-writer-and-monk.html
I adored this..
Fr. Jim, you're the best.....
Philly girl!
I am not a Catholic (I was raised Protestant, studied Buddhism and meditation for some time), but I would love to see a cause for canonization of Thomas Merton. His spiritual depth is unprecedented for somebody living in that time period, as was his desire to encompass and penetrate into the human experience, and the commonalities that we all share. Which is more important right now than ever.
What a great mystic. Thanks for making this video.
Thank God for Thomas Merton--if he can be Holy--there may be hope for a poor sinner like me...dts/usa
"But how do you go around telling people that they're shining like the sun?" I remember this feeling as well, when contemplating the Holy Eucharist some time ago, being connected to everyone...everyone. past present future. And how difficult it was to express this to people. It can't be expressed.
you have to be carefull explaining your contemplative experiences they can come across very differently to others as they appear to you. I havemade this mistake to mcost in the past
it is best to share these experiences only with a close friend in the spritual life, and to keep it secret from others. Instead of inspiring people as it has yourself, the dualistic mind immediately grabs onto it and turns the story into something else. So best to keep it private.
But such views of Reality do exist. I experienced an actual, physical vision of God’s presence pervading absolutely everything, with my eyes wide open & being fully awake. There’s a section (27:38 to 28:47) in another video of Thomas Merton recordings, (in his own words), that describes his experiences of this.
A glimpse behind the veil that makes our regular daily view of the world seem to be just a beautiful mask. And the God that is seen is as real as looking at this screen now - no metaphors. And what’s revealed, (what’s felt), can only be described as total Love - as God. I don’t have a spiritual confidant to confide in so please share your experiences. Thanks, Phill.
I have just read the Seven Story Mountain and am just beginning on New Seeds of Contemplation. I thought it was fascinating how he came to Catholicism. He seemed to come to it through beauty, aesthetic although not without intellect. The importance of the concept of God as Being rather a being. This concept is in harmony with his ideas on contemplation and eastern religion.
Keri Ford I am trying to read the Seeds of Contemplation, I just don’t understand why people think its such a great book. The writing is so abstract to me ... Just when I think Im going to grasp “ contemplative prayer” the sentences are so wordy I get lost
What am.i not getting?
I appreciate Merton and his stance on social justice. Ive gone to Gethsemani in KY, located his grave.. the abbey is so peaceful... I didn’t want to leave ..
more beautiful rubbish on the path to hell i think nothing better than the bible in all honesty, fr martin isa liar merton is not a catholic saint, just a clever monk
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
I almost became Roman Catholic because of Father Merton . I became Eastern Orthodox , but I have a deep place in my heart for Father Merton .
It seems we want all of our hero’s to be super hero’s and when they aren’t we become angry and then diminish ourselves by that very action.
There is no doubt Merton broke his vows; sometimes while reading his last journal as he equivocates, justifies, and argues with himself it feels maddening. Often I wanted to shake him and say, "C'mon Tom, listen to what you are saying!! What would you say to me if I came to you with this situation, or one of your novices did??" But in the end he is honest with himself and reaffirms his monastic commitment. I am a hermit largely because of his book Contemplation in a World of Action.
Excellent presentation. Thank you🙏🥰
A holy man for sure and one of my heroes
There have always been and will always be saintly persons, no matter how decadent this world becomes.
Back in the day, a friend dated a girl who had a favorite saint. She said her prayers to this saint had been answered. By and bye the church came out with a list of saints for which no proof existed that they ever existed. And, you guessed it, her favorite was on the list.
I discovered Thomas Merton by seeing that same PBS documentary. It changed my direction as well.
I found Merton through the poetry of Daniel Berrigan. The first book I read was his "The Way of Chang Tzu", in a time as a young adult when I had been lapsed for many years, but following a spiritual path that had led me to Taoism and Buddhism. Merton's writing was like a thunderbolt in my life- I read his journals and poetry, but it was his "New Seeds of Contemplation" that brought me back to an adult understanding of my faith, and the return to being a practicing Catholic.
Full circle then, with a realisation that all True teachings are the same. 👍
There is a point in contemplative development where for some people, energy and further development are blocked unless you come into an intimate trusting and loving relationship with the opposite sex. It is as if you are frozen, and you will die spiritually and intellectually if that inner psychic energy is not moved, opened and freed thru loving emotionally and physically. For some people celibacy is a possibility all the time, but the inner heart seems to know when, for others, an opening, a shift in energy flow needs to occur for there to be deeper development. Thus we see that many masters have taken consorts for short or long periods of time. The heart just knows what it needs. And then it can return to the path of celibacy without further obstruction. It seems to be a point for some physical systems, where maturation cannot occur without sexual and emotional involvement. For such a person, breaking a vow is not necessarily what is happening, but continuing on the path of development is what is happening. That opening, maturation, is what allows really solid celibacy and development to occur in the future. This is what tantric techniques are for and tantric techniques can allow this shift in subtle energy with many different approaches to it, for layers of reality are all contained within our energy system. This knowledge is lost to Christianity at the present time but still exists elsewhere if you care to import it back in. At that time, if the development is sincere, situations will manifest the consort and the interaction will be of mutual benefit for everyone. We are working with the mind and body. We cannot suppress either, but develop both into well-rounded humanity. This point appears over and over again in the lives of so many contemplatives and spiritually dedicated people. How they make their choices seems to directly affect the outcomes of their practice and their ability to interact with the world. Just being in love, by itself, is very instructive for the contemplative life.
@28105wsking This is a very succinct point to make. And it's highly unlikely that there wouldn't have been a strong over-arching ans deep sense of love within that physical union of opposites; unlike the physical relationships Merton had in his youth.
And you are correct, sexuality and sexual energies at the spiritual level arw lost entirely on the Christian mind... "Saint" Paul has a lot to answer for.
When you read the words of "Saint" Paul on marriage and what constitutes fornication, he clearly states in the bible that he his speaking on his own ideas here and *not* Gods. Ergo he does not speak of spiritual concepts on these issues but only the carnal and the practical, but still Christians just run head first with bad ideas that then block spiritual energies in harmful ways. They continually make the mistake of assuming to *know* the mind of God or what is needed for every person.
I'm currently attending a Presbyterian church, and it's evident just how lacking in insight and spiritual wisdom they are due to the constraints of relying purely on gospel and doctrine alone.
Tom Merton knew that God reached him through his brokenness. Through the major cracks, God's light poured in!! When Tom fell in love with the nurse…this was God's way of helping him to heal in his previous broken relationships with women. God's ways are not our ways….Thank God!!
Fascinating insight.
The best line on Merton came from the psychiatrist, Gregory Zilborg: "You want to sit in the middle of Times Square with a neon sign over your head that reads: Hermit."
Gwen Tough this is wisdom of love and compassion...I love you ..you are he in the now.
Thomas Merton inspires me to this day. Sometimes, I just take down one of his books, open it, and start reading. I recently bought one of his journals at a thrift store, and it is fascinating. I also like Seeds of Contemplation... and Life and Holiness. Too bad the Church has forgotten, ignored, or abandoned him in favor of less spiritual writers. He was no apologist. He was a seeker... of the knowledge and love of God.
The current Pope seems to like him. I have just read the Seven Storey Mountain, I liked it I'm looking forward to reading what he has to say on contemplation..
Great video. My Holy Week retreat this year was at Gethsemani and I was moved by the spirit of Merton there... This brief video expresses his impact on this remarkable Jesuit confrere, Jim Martin... Two great writers... What a blessing for me and for all of us who have encountered both.
He never consummated the relationship with the nurse, but he came close. That's when he went to his abbott & confessed & decided to break it off with her.
Thanks for pointing that out. Many people would have walked away with the wrong conclusions without knowing what actually happened. It was more of an affair of the heart than some torrid fling. I wish Fr. Martin had made that distinction.
+Xander Taylor how the hell do you know whether he did or didn't?
+catandpiddle If you read the book, it seems they were not alone together. There are some other indications.
+Anne Haehl 'some other indications' such as? sorry, the man was just as susceptible to temptation as me, you and any one of us.
How about you read about it and then we could have a discussion--if you really want to. I don't much care. Clearly he was sinful--do you care if he was physically Getting it On?
Beautiful, thank you!
He was really Saint man❤
this really helped me understand thomas merton for school.
thanks for sharing Loyola Productions, Inc.
Great saint of humanity-great talk.
he's actually not a saint of the church another falsehood perpetrated on the people by fr martin the apostles were simple fishermen who did and later wrote amazing difficult TRUTHS read them instead of this idiot, God Bless fr martin is a heretic and apostate who twists the bible to suit his agenda, wake up
Thomas Merton attracted me a lot in my younger days as a religious. I know not why. I must read again his journal”The Intimate Merton” to find out more what in him attracted me so much.
he's full of crap, read the bible wake up, God Bless
@easton thayn this Merton guy was a degenerate, jimmy Martin loves him. God help us
While sanctity is ultimately God’s judgment
rubbish and you know it
This was amazing. Thank you so much. Sometimes I'm so hard on myself and really struggle to forgive myself. This helped me. Even a saint broke his religious vows and did wrong and still was a saint. This ironically helps me feel better about myself. God always find a way to turn wrong into good.
He's a Holy Person with Flaws, Not a Saint...I just thought that I would clarify that for You. Blessings, John
Thomas Merton one of the greats.
Like most things on life, its a matter of intetpretation.
A lovely tribute to Thomas Merton. I have just read James Martins book, A Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything. An excellent read
If you are thinking of apostasy
@@murielkinsella3526 Then let me be an apostate.....if thats what you want to think of us as.
I think Thomas Merton was murdered.
God help us.
Depressed, I found a collection of Merton's photographs on the photography section shelves of the Wichita Public Library, and identified with the black and white, shadows, looked in fly leaf, list of his books. First on list, Seven Story Mountain. It changed my life. John Wren
..so this one - in a way at least - is the opposite of Loyola! :)
very cool thank you
Seven Story Mountain is a modern day Confessions of St. Augustine.
For so short a biographical sketch, beautiful! Thank you.
That was a great little presentation. Thank-you.
Finally found you
Thanks
My initial feelings are mixed. Arguing with his abbott, apparent desires for fame, and sadly breaking his monastic vow of celibacy all lean against a virtuous life.
I was mixed too, but then I remembered: no one is perfect, which includes perfectly virtuous except Jesus! We are all tempted. Our job is to learn, and learn, and learn, and grow toward more holiness - but we will never be perfect.
@@Lucylou7070 that was an old post, much has changed for me since then, thank you for replying so I can see my own evolution
No talk about Mark Van Doren?
I have mixed feelings regarding Father James Martin, SJ, because he is a proponent of the LGBTQ agenda in the Catholic Church, which clearly in conflict with Catholic teaching. We are taught by the Church to “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but Father Martin believes that homosexuality is natural in some people, that they were created thus by God, and therefore sodomy is no sin.
Putting this aside, however, I also believe that in narrating this video and expressing his own admiration of Thomas Merton, Father Martin reveals his truly idealistic, Christian side. (He also edited a collection of essays on Catholic saints whose title I don’t recall-something like My Friends, the Saints-in which he also gives credit to various holy men and women for fostering his vocation.)
The main subject of the video however is not Father Martin, but rather Thomas Merton and Gethsemani Abbey, and these two are iconic in American Catholicism. The video reminds us that, as in the person of Merton, Catholicism in the United States is a coming together of liberalism and conservatism, and that these two strains give the faith its ever-youthful zeal in the United States.
The thing is that homosexual act is a sin but if someone considers himself homosexual but is not practicing his homosexuality he/she is perfectly fine and he/she is not sinful... Of course homosexuality is one form of distorted sexuality, I know those people are struggling and they think it's not unfair, but it's unfortunate many of them became like that because of they lacked mother or father, I respect homosexual I hope Jesus can touch their hearts. It's not important what other people think but they need to understand for them it's not act that God loves but He still loves them, they can't imagine how much...
Thomas Merton On The Meaning Of Life & Humanism
i feel the same way about merton.
this is low-key funny
does james martin ever wear his Divine and Holy Habit, for the few privileged?
????
Why not become who you already are?
Do you know who you are?
From my understanding, this man is not a saint. Fr. John Hardon did not have nice things to say about this man. Bring electrocuted is poetic? I don't get It, he is living monastic life on the outside? I am confused.
***** Exactly, which is why one turns to Christ and let's Him take over. Christ can't make a saint if that soul is combative and refuses to listen to His superiors. Humility plays the greatest role in any saint. Without it, nothing can happen. The will must be given to God.
Anne Baartz I know that. You are ignoring what I said. A religious takes the vow of obedience and he was a monastic monk. One in the monastic life does not travel and dabble in eastern religions. He also took a vow of obedience, but had disagreements with his Superior. That is all I am saying.
Anne Baartz No I disagree. One takes the vow of obedience. Not obedience to your own conscience. I am saying that Thomas Morton did His own thing. He was in a monastic order. They are hidden in life of prayer. Morton was a convert. He dabbed in mystical eastern religions.
Thomas Merton was not electrocuted by a fan. He was assassinated.
saint for some, not so for others. Living a certain way, following rules... judgments people make on other people... What has this to do with God?
I'm reading 'no man is an island'. It's really good.
Have you read Merton's Seven Storey Mountain? Whether he was celibate or not, he wasn't yet even a Catholic.
Merton's mother died when he was very young--6 maybe? HIs father died when he was less than 18. Just a small error.
along with all his other lies
@@Morningstar-xz5bl Good Lord! Let it go!
CORRECTION father martin
Merton’s American mother, Ruth, who would die of cancer when Thomas was only six, was a Quaker and an artist, though a less ambitious one than his father, Owen who died in 1931
i like to think that merton is still alive in asia, and that the death story is a way for the catholic church to save face. what do you think?
Yeah...last time was seen surfing in Bali.
How can a sinner be "holy"? Tell me.
Sem Gonzales
Because we are all Gods children.
Let him without sin cast the first stone!
We are all sinners. That’s why we need Christ. Or as Oscar Wilde put it, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
This is Fr. James Martin, the same man who recently said on Twitter:
"Catholics need not be wary of June's #PrideMonth It’s a way for LGBT people to be proud that they are beloved children of God, they have families who love them as they are, and they have a right to be treated with "respect, compassion and sensitivity" after years of persecution." - June 2 2018 (Twitter @JamesMartinSJ)
He also said:
"Not every #PrideMonth event will be to everyone's taste, but the underlying point-" - June 2 2018
So apparently, half-naked, three-quarters naked and all but naked men dancing on floats made in the shape of genitalia,waving and wearing accoutrements also depicting genitalia, while grinding on one another and more...is somehow a subjective expression of "LGBT people [being] proud that they are beloved children of God," and that "Catholics need not be wary of June's #PrideMonth".
As a Catholic man, in my opinion, I find this statement willfully scandalizing and see no mark of the Church in this "priest's" remarks.
June is merely one month amongst many. It seems every month is Gay Pride Month. No matter. The emphasis for the Faithful should be to pay attention to the infiltration locally and within dioceses writ large within Christendom and to educate one another with the mountain of knowledge and information the Church has accrued in 2000 years. That means understanding the socio-cultural implications as well as the philosophical and theological entailments. There are capable priests who do not endorse this man's opinion or apprehension concerning the objective amoral expression of pride vis a vis the Church Christ founded.
Remember, all we have to do is what the Lord instructs us to do one day at a time.
yes i totally agree we have to fight back against this, its a pity you didn't put this comment at the top of the page so people can see it, i am going to leave comments everywhere i come across him could you do the same please, maybe we save some poor souls. God Bless
Morningstar,
Christ's peace to you.
I thought I had posted the comment at the top. I'll know for next time.
Re: Martin...Yes, it's become even more apparent in light of the recent tragedies how necessary the layity (myself included) need to provide ongoing opinion with courage.
It's a relief to read opinions like yours on this site. I wandered into from a genuine catholic one. But this jesuitical progressive gets a lot of followers
He was the abbot's confessor. I don't believe the abbott was ever his confessor. Later--just happened to be reading Merton on spiritual direction, and he says, "Todya the superior is forbidden to hear the confession of his subjects except in certain rare cases."
I don't think Merton is as 'flawed' as people make him out to be. There is a difference been being unconventional and being flawed.
Wow, very thought provoking! Thanks for your input.
He broke his vows with a woman, then he repented, the question is his relationship with Zen Buddhism. Was there a compromise of his orthodoxy?
Merton was a human being. His flaws and his curiosity were what made him who he was. Just like us.
Maybe he was not afraid to explore and embrace
Please purchase a booklet called LITURGICAL SHIPWRECK 25 years of the NEW MASS by Michael Davies.
also, first of all WHO really cares about Father Thomas Merton
Everyone got contradict you no saint
Father! Let me understand something! How in ... I mean!... how is it POSSIBLE that you went from an "engineer (or whatever) at G.E." to become a Jesuit??
PS. I'm sure it's no easy "transition"...
He needs to be canonized I believe that he was murdered.
Wow, this is great, coming from a priest who preaches same sex marriage.
Love Merton. Adore Merton. Not interested in Martin.
Doesn't christ say love your enemies and that love is kind
What's the difference between a saint and a personality. Light years. Merton was a saint for the SNL generation. Somebody who could write beautifully and gratify his inner child. Fr. Martin is a true simpleton.
thank you, this fr martin is dangerous heretic apostate, don't you think
I most certainly do! That he is allowed to sow poison the way he does by the current Vatican regime, is utterly terrifying!
Fr. Martin asks, "who is Thomas Merton?"
Merton was a man on the road to sainthood until Satan distracted him into a sexually obsessed relationship with a woman. And, an admirer of Merton, it was painful to watch, most especially his written justifications for remaining in this obsession, not turning away from it as all the saints have done since the Church was founded. And having a depth-understanding of what Merton went through, I'm certain he is in heaven, because he did repent, I was told. But don’t expect any repentance from Fr. Martin in his rabid attempt at sexualizing children by assigning to them one of Satan’s many sexual identities he designed as the fastest way to destroy the souls of chldren.
Thomas Merton please pray for the conversions of Fr.James Martin. The church has paid for his education, insurance, ect. But he is Pro-gay and gives out bad information about the real teachings of the Catholic Church. A wolf in sheep clothing. Check out the video 8 reasons to stay way from father Martin. you tube
I agree! What saddens me is that there are significantly more visits to his site than to other genuine Catholic ones
👿James Martin admires Merton
I might if you have one more tired cliché to use .
Who cares about Thomas Merton? Catholics don't promote Buddhism. Thomas Merton is an example of how the devil can pull you away from your real duty as a Priest of Jesus Christ.
And do you suppose God is not within all people? He's our Father and Jesus is His son and we are all His children and brothers and sisters of Jesus. Merton went to Thailand to learn more from Buddhists about quieting himself to deepen his prayer and contact with Our Lord. A life-long Catholic, I read Seven Storey Mountain and my faith greatly expanded as did my love of the Catholic Church.
Thomas Merton wanted to be totally free of all the guilt and shame for the indiscretions he had committed in the past and even during his life as a priest and a monk. He explored some exotic Eastern religions which dialectically opposed to Christianity. In his speeches and literary works, Merton denied the doctrine of original sin and believed that the SELF is the way to salvation and negated the saving grace of Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection. These and more heretical views served only his purpose: to free himself from the constraints of the immutable laws of Christianity and the rules of his monastic order (for he was above it). But he kept falling time and time again on the same sins he had despised so much in his youth: the sins of the flesh. He wanted to ran away and hide from it all but it seemed they followed him wherever he went like his own shadow. And it made him miserable and distraught. By rationalizing his thoughts and behavior and reinterpreting the doctrines of the Faith, he felt he was free at last. He believed it was part of God's plan and mercy towards him that he did what he did and became the person that he was. Or to put it in another way, "I should not be blamed for what I did. The devil made me do it". Not accountable, not responsible. Just like Lucifer, PRIDE before the FALL.
What a total disgrace to the catholic church,to the priesthood.
Debunk his lies join the revolution and become a keyboard knight fighting for catholic truth follow him on social media and reveal the truth to his poor hoodwinked LGBQT victims
Pray for the truth and enlightenment than judging.
I wandered into this site from a genuine Catholic one, and knowing all about Fr Martin's heretical views, I was saddened to see the numbers who visit his site. Thankfully, many of the comments show that not everyone is swallowing his poison
Imperfect people casting stones
Thomas Merton was centuries ahead of the Roman Church (of my church, the Episcopal Church, maybe about 1 century ;-/).
Holy Thomas, pray for us!
Merton was not a Saint, grow up!
fr martin needs to be followed on all socialmedia and his horrible lies debunked join the revolution for truth and become a keyboard knight
neither are you! nobody is perfect
James Martin is a joke! Yuk!!!!!!
Not the best summary at all.
+Tricia D: Wow! Have YOU ever read anything written by Merton? MODERN so
called christians are very quick to label and believe THEY know everything. YOU
of course, are saved FOR SURE, right? Do you know how he lived? How do YOU live? YOUR rampant disrespect toward this good man shows how lacking of Love you
are toward your fellow humans. But then, I forgot: YOU are saved for sure, so Who
CARES about Merton, AND the rest of us, for that matter?! Right Tricia?
Jesuits for Merton? Jesuits are SO Communist,
but is that SO wrong? Too be continued, because most of the world is Communist, but they don't know it. Communist is in many ways Christ-like, but most don't know it. Communist Merton realizes that we are all equal, working for each other, working for the good of each other.
P.E. Gottrocks , communists are without spiritual direction. For them, all is for the good of the state, such as distribution of wealth and goods. Merton disavowed all he owned to attain spiritual purity.
Communist are Godless Ideology, how come? Can provide evidence and references?
For a different view of Merton, from someone who's read him for more than 60 years, see dorothydayworker.blogspot.com/2022/05/thomas-merton-rebel-writer-and-monk.html