On June 27, 1949, Merton was allowed, for the first time, to venture outside the Abbey of Gethsemani’s gated enclosure to walk in the woods alone. His writing and his spirituality changed forever as a result. In Thomas Merton's Gethsemani: Landscapes of Paradise, author Monica Weis notes, "Once beyond the monastery walls, Merton's heart soared." Why? Perhaps, after being doused in words for years, suddenly he could share an expansive, silent space with God and just listen. This session will explore what Merton found beneath the branches, on the hills, and in all of nature: a sense of transcendence.
Sophfronia Scott is a novelist, essayist, and leading contemplative thinker whose work has appeared in numerous publications. Her latest book, The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, received a Louie award in 2021. Sophfronia’s other books include Love's Long Line, and This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain. She holds degrees from Harvard and Vermont College of Fine Arts. Sophfronia lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut and is the founding director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, a graduate program based in Alma, Michigan.
Daniel P. Horan, OFM - True and False Love: Thomas Merton’s Spirituality of the Restless
Malgorzata Poks - The Geography of Lograire as Thomas Merton’s Ultimate Autobiography
Gordon Oyer - Re-Visioning a Fragmented World: Learnings through Merton’s Letters on Social Change
Deborah Kehoe: Thomas Merton and Southern Writing
BONUS episode: Sr. Elena Malits, CSC, an interview by Jonathan Montaldo
Gregory K. Hillis: What Does Thomas Merton Have to Tell Us About Catholic Identity?
2022-02-08 - Steven P. Millies: Our Crisis of Authority and Thomas Merton
Doug Hertler - Merton, You and Me: The Reality of Life in the Paschal Mystery
Paul Pearson - ”I love beer, and, by that very fact, the world.” The Humor (and Humanity) of Thomas Merton
Kathleen Tarr - From the Inner Frontier to the Last Frontier: Thomas Merton‘s Alaska Journey
BONUS episode: Scott Russell Sanders - Reading Merton in the Rain
BONUS episode: Andrew Prevot—”Contemplation in Times of Crisis”
Judith Valente - Why We Still Read and Need Thomas Merton: A Personal Journey
BONUS epidode: David Golemboski—"Absurdity and Imagination in a Time of Upheaval"
Lynn R. Szabo - Poetry as Spiritual Direction with Thomas Merton and Denise Levertov
Jim Forest - An Army that Sheds No Blood: Thomas Merton’s Response to War
Michael W. Higgins - Merton and David Jones: Visionaries Both
Kathleen Deignan - Overshadowed: Thomas Merton and the Cloud of Unknowing
BONUS episode: Robert Ellsberg — "The Gate of Heaven Is Everywhere"
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Devoted To Prayer
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Bible Recap
BardsFM