Thomas Merton from "Who Cares About The Saints?" with Fr. James Martin, S.J. 

"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.

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.

Excellent presentation. Thank you🙏🥰

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.

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!!

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.

A lovely tribute to Thomas Merton. I have just read James Martins book, A Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything. An excellent read

Thomas Merton one of the greats.

thanks for sharing Loyola Productions, Inc.

Great saint of humanity-great talk.

Like most things on life, its a matter of intetpretation.

Beautiful, thank you!

God help us.

That was a great little presentation. Thank-you.

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.

I'm reading 'no man is an island'. It's really good.

does james martin ever wear his Divine and Holy Habit, for the few privileged?

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 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?

Love Merton. Adore Merton. Not interested in Martin.

Everyone got contradict you no saint

He needs to be canonized I believe that he was murdered.

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.

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

Wow, this is great, coming from a priest who preaches same sex marriage.

Not the best summary at all.

I might if you have one more tired cliché to use .

Thomas Merton was centuries ahead of the Roman Church (of my church, the Episcopal Church, maybe about 1 century ;-/). Holy Thomas, pray for us!

James Martin is a joke! Yuk!!!!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thank God for Thomas Merton--if he can be Holy--there may be hope for a poor sinner like me...dts/usa

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.

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.

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"...

A holy man for sure and one of my heroes

While sanctity is ultimately God’s judgment

I adored this.. Fr. Jim, you're the best..... Philly girl!

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 .

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.

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

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.

What a great mystic. Thanks for making this video.

There have always been and will always be saintly persons, no matter how decadent this world becomes.

What a total disgrace to the catholic church,to the priesthood.

He was really Saint man❤

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.

..so this one - in a way at least - is the opposite of Loyola! :)

Seven Story Mountain is a modern day Confessions of St. Augustine.

I discovered Thomas Merton by seeing that same PBS documentary. It changed my direction as well.

No talk about Mark Van Doren?

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's mother died when he was very young--6 maybe? HIs father died when he was less than 18. Just a small error.

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

this is low-key funny

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

this really helped me understand thomas merton for school.

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.

How can a sinner be "holy"? Tell me.

Thomas Merton On The Meaning Of Life & Humanism

Why not become who you already are? Do you know who you are?

i feel the same way about merton.

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.

Merton was not a Saint, grow up!

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.

For so short a biographical sketch, beautiful! Thank you.

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.

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.

Finally found you Thanks

very cool thank you

Have you read Merton's Seven Storey Mountain? Whether he was celibate or not, he wasn't yet even a Catholic.

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.

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.

+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?

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