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“Pat O’Connell’s synthesis of Merton’s spirituality offers us a hope-filled book when hope is in short supply.” – From the Foreword by Bonnie B. ThurstonIn Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality, renowned Merton scholar Patrick F. O’Connell shares the fruit of decades of reading, reflecting, speaking, and writing about this captivating monastic figure. He explores the full range of the prolific Cistercian’s diverse contributions to contemporary Christian life and thought, unified by his conviction that “We must contain all divided worlds in ourselves and transcend them in Christ.” This commitment to integrating seemingly disparate concerns and interests, the historical with the contemporary, the spiritual with the secular, contemplative prayer with prophetic critique, monastic stability with life-long pilgrimage, constitutes what O’Connell names as Merton’s holistic spirituality. Drawing on both well-known and relatively little-studied sources, this book explores key themes and motifs that exemplify Merton’s commitment, never fully realized yet never relinquished, to what he called “final integration,” an inner unity grounded in the experience of divine love that extends to embrace the entire human community and all creation.
Patrick F. O’Connell, emeritus professor of English and theology at Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania, is a founding member and former president of the International Thomas Merton Society, longtime editor of The Merton Seasonal, and copy editor of The Merton Annual. He has edited sixteen volumes of Merton materials, including twelve volumes of Merton’s monastic conferences (2005–2022) as well as Selected Essays (2013) and Merton and Confucianism (2021). He is also co-author with Christine M. Bochen and William H. Shannon of the award-winning Thomas Merton Encyclopedia (2002).
ContentsForeword by Bonnie B. Thurston viiPreface xi1 Tradition and Innovation 12 Traditional Roots, Innovative Shoots: Merton’s Ecological Conscience 233 The Paschal Heart of Merton’s Spirituality 414 Wisdom and Prophecy: The Two Poles of Merton’s Spirituality 655 Awakening in Eden: Merton and the Recovery of Paradise 896 Merton’s Vision of the Kingdom 1117 “What I Wear Is Pants”: “Lay” Spirituality and Monastic Reform 1318 From Communication to Communion: Merton on Language and Silence 1579 Final Integration: Culture, Multiculturalism, Transcultural Consciousness 183Bibliography 207Acknowledgments 217Index 219
“One of the best short introductions to the spirituality of Thomas Merton that I have ever read: wise, grounded, thoughtful, incisive and, best of all, well written.”James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and In All Seasons, For All Reasons