Synopses & Reviews
Having embraced a life of solitude in his own hermitage, Thomas Merton finds his faith tested beyond his imagination when a visit to the hospital leads to a clandestine affair of the heart. Jolted out of his comfortable routine, Merton is forced to reassess his need for love and his commitment to celibacy and the monastic vocation.This astonishing volume traces Mertons struggle to reconcile his unexpected love with his sacred vows while continuing to grapple with the burning social issues of the day - including racial conflicts, the war in Vietnam, and the Arab-Israeli conflict - visiting and corresponding with high-profile friends like Thich Nhat Hanh and Joan Baez, and further developing his writing career. Revealing Merton to be ‘very human in his chronicles of the ecstasy and torment of being in love, Learning to Love comes full circle as Merton recommits himself completely and more deeply to his vocation even as he recognizes ‘my need for love, my loneliness, my inner division, the struggle in which solitude is at once a problem and a ‘solution. And perhaps not a perfect solution either (11 May, 1967).
Synopsis
An Affair of the Heart and SoulThis captivating sixth volume of Thomas Merton's acclaimed journals traces his struggles to reconcile an unexpected love with his monastic vows. In Learning to Love,Merton comes full circle as he recommits himself completely and more deeply to his vocation with a new and stronger understanding of the nature of both worldly and spiritual love.
Synopsis
This riveting volume traces Merton's struggles to reconcile an unexpected love with his sacred vows, all the while grappling with the burning social issues of the 60s. The "affair" jolts Merton out of his comfortable monastery routine and forces him to reassess his need for love, his commitment to celibacy, and his monastic vocation.
-- This year Merton's life will be more widely examined than ever as the 30th anniversary of his death occurs in December 1998.
-- Merton chronicles his clandestine affair of the heart.
-- He emerges as a free spirit: listening to Bob Dylan; visiting and corresponding with high-profile friends like Thich Nhat Hanh, Joan Baez, and Allen Ginsberg; and imagining a new life with his love.
About the Author
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk, writer, and peace and civil-rights activist.Merton's works have had a profound impact on contemporary religious and philosophical thought. His journals are the last major writings by Merton to appear in print.
Brother Patrick Hart, a monk of Gethsemani and the general editor of the journals, edited volumes one and seven of the Merton Journals.
Jonathan Montaldo, the director of the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky, edited volume two of the Merton journals.