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Thomas Merton: I Have Seen What I Was Looking For, Selected Spiritual Writings

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Trappist M. Basil Pennington, a friend of Thomas Merton, has put together a brilliant introduction to the man known as one of the great modern spiritual writers. In the introduction, the editor expresses the wish that this anthology will be as "savory" to those new to Merton as it is to long-term fans. He accomplishes that goal by organizing excerpts from Merton's books, articles, journals, letters, and poems seamlessly and inserting himself only briefly, with short comments before each new topic. He has also added titles the excerpts and cited the original works and page numbers. As logic would dictate, the first section is taken wholly from Merton's best known work, "Seven Storey Mountain," which ends as the recently baptized Merton moves toward joining the Trappists.

Other sections address Merton's journey into prayer, exploration of eastern religion, and advocacy for peace and justice. He writes that "stopping too soon is the commonest dead-end in prayer." And of peace: "The only way truly to `overcome' an enemy is to help him become other than an enemy. This is the kind of wisdom we find in Gandhi. It is the wisdom of the Gospels." Alongside these reflections, we occasionally glimpse Merton's lighter side, as when he suggests that lay persons who wish to practice contemplation might move to the country or take jobs that lend to solitude. The small town move, he admits, might involve poverty, and the solitary job, well, "Not everybody wants to spend his life as a night watchman, and for very good reasons." He goes on to make some practical suggestions on contemplative prayer in secular life.

Pennington has given us a resource that demonstrates Merton's breadth and depth, his humor and his intelligence, and most of all, his great love for God.