Thomas Merton's Hermitage / A Short Video 

So lovely to see all the monks of both traditions enjoying the peace of Merton's hermitage. I wish I could visit too.

Luv everything about this video. Music, seeing Thomas residence and love.

Very moving, reflecting on Merton's continuing impact. His life a blessing to us. Love the music because I value this thought-provoking music ministry of Fr. Cyprian Consiglio. Thank you! Julie

Interesting to see this video footage of the hermitage. Thank you. For over 20 years I have been a reader of Merton's work. He still seems like one of the most important voices of the last century. If we don't blow ourselves up, people will still be reading him in 500 years.

"Peace is not the absence of struggle or tension, but rather the presence of justice."

wonderful... interesting the music.... beauty in simplicity... I am deeply moved.... thank you all! Ingrid Henzler

Amén.

I was told by Br. Luke during Holy Week 2009 that the hermatege is now closed to visitors. Would have loved to have seen it.

REALIZE THE KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS WITHIN LIKE FR. MERTON

@Gethsemani3 From my humble point of view, I enjoyed the accompanying music very much. Thomas Merton has been a hero of mine since my early teenage years. Your video and its music is marvelous.

thanks for sharing Gethsemani3

Truth is understanding and appreciation supported by our belief system.

I love the music you chose. Thanks for posting it for us to enjoy. I may have a a rare opportunity to visit Gesthemani soon. Very excited about the prospect! Yours in Christ,

When I see this, I can see Merton dancing around his house to whatever was playing on his record player (probably to keep warm) and cooking rice on his little stove. I can see boxes of books he used to order from the library beside that desk & Merton pecking away at the typewriter. As for music, I think Merton would have liked chanting or even a 1960s civil rights movement song, one of the songs sung at the Southern Christian Leadership prayer meetings he attended.

The Postmaster is within you who delivers the Little YOU 'I' to the Extraordinary YOUR SELF 'I AM'. The ones who dwells to know the true meaning of 'I' and I AM, within themselves will be the ones who will be closer to GOD. AND BEYOND....

🍀

@oblatusosb I realize that I am a late joiner of the conversation. And, regarding "his late almost boundless" admiration of Hindu-Buddhism I can say a few things. At the first, it is in due part to a weakness of fascination Merton always had with the Far-Eastern thought. Yet, it was a Far-Eastern monk monk who told him that he should become a Catholic and not a chaser of Far-Eastern thought. At the second, in Merton's less-published writings he remains critical of the Far-Eastern thought.

The music is awesome!!

I agree. The soundtrack is very nice but it is inappropriate to a silent contemplative hermitage.

It's up to the people who run the place to set rules.

Quite surprised to see such harsh judgmental comments concerning a cinder block cottage in the woods and the music ??? I hear Uncle Louie chuckling. Godspeed !

@ryan82scott I do agree with you that since the Reformation or should we say the Council of Trento most of the laity has abondoned meditation, not of their fault, but the prists themselves had lost interest in what was once called: "conversatio nostra in coelis est."

The world he wanted to escape is now able to enter his private sanctuary. I feel like I'm invading his privacy when I look at this. Shame on me. But it is just a structure. So maybe I can be forgiven?

@Catholiques I agree with you toto corde; the problem that I have with Thomas Merton theology is his late almost boundless admiration of Hindu-Buddism practice and theology; and then all the walls of tradition came down to the new practices of Christianity. The new ordo liturgicum was a great disservice to Christendom. The only place that I still feel at home is the Abbay of Solesmes, or certain Carthusian monasteries whose motto is "Nemo reformata, nemo reformanda" .

I don't believe in fixating on how we are right and everyone else is wrong etc. either by the way. Because once ppl get stuck there, they worship their religion rather than God. This is why relativists have some legitimate concerns. What I'm trying to protect is the uniqueness of Christianity which I believe proves its veracity. I believe that the similarities between biblical narrative and mythology only bring out the differences. For more info, please read TheScapegoat by scholar Rene Girard

@oblatusosb --You have very exclusive choices. THe only way to get into a Carthusian monastery is when they permit visitorss--normally aspirants to their order. As for Solesmes, if in France. I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Hindu-Buddhist fascination that some have in the West. However, we know that this is due to the fact that these religions are practically obligation-free, thus their appeal to secular Westerners.

It's the Catalina wine mixer!!!

Due to his health problems, the Trappists allowed him some freedoms.

En 1:28 sale un crucifijo. Será ese uno de los crucifijos que hacía en su estadía por la trapa el poeta Ernesto Cardenal?

Wow! hermit's house & lifestyle was better conditions compare to nowadays Hawaii's poor rent house! Even that condition in Hawaii, (We have no winter), It's not hermit's, middle under rent house condition, about $1200 -$1500, per monrh rent values. Who want come to Hawaii, I suggest only travel. Anyway I feel worsely lived condition, only pay for rent, & survived. mant sickness remains, side effects of' ' cancer surviver.' Ah! his spiritualty & all books, I already read all early 20 years old, in korea. I wanted be a cloister nun, but always my health was problems!

thank you very much for your prompt response. You clearly demonstrate strong open-mindedness. But my concern is that open-mindedness/toleration has been confused with relativism, especially in the last 20 years. When speaking with other faiths, I believe we need to be respectful, diplomatic, tactful etc. Absolutely, we should rejoice in parallels and similarities. But we can not just sweep our differences under the rug.

I was a Trappist. I believe Fr. Lois would have laughed that people came as such. I understand and respect why, but I can hear him laughing. The music? Well intended but misses the target. he would have wanted the voices of his brothers chanting at Gethsemani.

@oblatusosb most certainly the different orders of monks and nuns have carried on the practice of meditation through the ages, but the use of meditation has been practiced less and less by the laity since the Reformation, and is all but ignored in most Protestant communities. Thomas Merton, with his writings, helped enkindle a renewed interested in this practice among the laity. If you disagree I accept that. I could be wrong, of course.

"How many monks does it take to fill a hermitage?" I think merton would be mocking this fan club carry on.

@Catholiques Probably because it was an ecumenical situation and not just a Christian one.

0:30 Beer bottle or bug spray on bench?

@Catholiques why not mute it...days should be to let the stream flow not to build a dam..mark maclellan

@milesfan420 --You are mistaken when you say that at the highest levels of Catholic mysticism 'there is not a belief in a creator per se.' That is a charge that is leveled against John of the Cross, for example. WHen John speaks of emptying oneself of our preconceptions of God, it is not within the context of Easternn mysticism, rather allowing the Holy Spirit to fill the soul. Neither Teresa of Avila nor John of the Cross ever denied a belief in an omnipotent presence, God. '

i agree. I know the roman church is but one sect of many. I believe in solidarity and inter-faith dialogue with the protestants, but we cant just sweep the differences under the rug because they're inconvenient. We believe things that they don't. Some of them believe we worship Mary, the saints etc. If they are right, then we are in the sin of idolatry. Again, it would be nice to think everyone can be right, but alas faith requires stepping outside the politically correct box.

My friend, there was only one history of the world. It would be nice to think that we have control over history and that it's up to us to choose our own history. But because different religions make different contradicting claims about historical events, as well as many other things, this is why they can not all be right at once.

@ryan82scott with due respect I totally disagree with you about the lost art of meditation in Christianity, it seems to me that you are familar with the Lectio divina of St. Benedict, practised in every Carthusian, Benedectine Camalduli's monasteries around the world, not to mention the Charmelites, and many other unafiliated hermites, 2 of them I was lucky and happy to visit for a few minutes in the Italian Alps. there still people that dedicate part of their time to pure meditation.

Merton would have seen the folly.

I enjoyed viewing the video but would have much more preferred the New Age music in the background be that of another retinue.

What is Truth?

@VoiceOfModeration Please forgive me, this conversation is over a year old. I am responding not to fecund disagreement but to agree nearly wholeheartedly. Perhaps, we can take a look at the wording. God is not held down by logic. This is true since Christ is the Logic of God. Christ freely loves the Most High God. Yet, it can be misconstrued. Perhaps, we would be better saying God is not subject to human rationalism. Rationalism, a heresy of course, being less-than-complete-thoughts. +++

You are right to believe that God is not tied down by logic, but he is not tied down by political correctness either. Although I am Catholic now, I was raised in the United Church, a denomination that is the paradigm of "liberal protestantism." The United Church teaches relativism. But it also was pro-abortion etc. If there is no right & wrong for everybody, then why should there be a right & wrong for anybody. Relativism quickly becomes nihilism.

Wow! hermit's house & lifestyle was better conditions compare to nowadays Hawaii's poor rent house! Even that condition in Hawaii, (We have no winter), It's not hermit's house, middle under rent house condition, about $1200 -$1500, per monrh rent values. Who want come to Hawaii, I suggest only travel. Anyway I feel worsely lived condition, only pay for rent, & survived. Only sickness remains, side effects of' ' cancer surviver.' Ah! his spiritualty & all books, I already read all early 20 years old, in korea. I wanted be a cloister nun, but always my health was problems! Ha ha ha .............

I might not be able to convince you in a few little quick posts. I remember how long it took me to finally understand why relativism is problematic. I was brain-washed by the United Church. If every religion is the same, those who believe that would be "right" and people who didn't believe everyone could be right we considered "wrong." It's a self-imploding theory.

He had a comfortable life. Having his own house, not having to work for his living. That makes it easy to be "spiritual"

If you honestly don't know the difference between relativism and ecumenism, the catechism should provide the definitions and explanations for you. If we believe that Jesus is God, then the Jews believing he was a liar sent to test their faith or the muslims believing he was just a prophet can not also be right. We don't have the right to judge, criticize or marginalize their beliefs. But we can't all be right, because that doesn't make sense.

I love it, i hope one day Christian could be awaken and merge with Buddhism which is the roots of Christianity. Christ and the Buddha are teaching one in the same thing just one different aspect of the coin. When I look at Issa I see the Buddha through him. Both of these religions are the only religion that have Monks and nuns, christ adopt this through Buddhism. Both religions need to open their heart up and merge with in.

Horrible post Novus Ordo experimental music.

His life was not comfortable. He spent most of it in ill health and much of his time in his hermitage was without heat in the bitter cold kentucky winter and with no running water. He was not well and had to relieve himself outside.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath would have been more appropriate - a track even he'd have liked.

corny music and too many people all at once trampling over sacred ground....definitely should be one or two at the most at any one time....take yer shoes off and reverence God and His servant that lived, prayed and cried here...