Thoughts In Solitude

I am so proud of my Catholic Faith, and I'm glad that I've had Thomas Merton as a kind of spiritual mentor who has helped to guide me back to the sacred nature of my Faith. In an age when the Church has become more of a follower of the world, rather than acting as a leader to the world, Catholics more than ever, need to rediscover the sacred in their Faith. They need to learn to put themselves before God, and to remove all obstacles that keep Him from their hearts.With Merton, you learn to shut out the noisy world, to enter a solitude that can even be achieved in the midst of our daily lives, that puts God in the center of all things, with the comfort and the knowledge that you are nothing without Him. Merton's guide for meditative prayer is very useful (even if you are not a monk!), with the most important part being that to enter such a state of prayer is not with the goal of finding yourself, and this is a very clear delineation from the Eastern practices of meditation, but rather to let God find you. So many people place things between themselves and God, and often the hardest thing to do is to remove the ego which you've placed between yourself and God.In this book, Merton teaches us the way of the Christian mystic, and it is nothing like the Eastern practices. The way of the Christian mystic is so much truer and more sacred. There is a great reward when you let God into your heart, when you know that you are His creation, that you belong to Him, and that it is through and with Jesus that any approach is even possible.For Catholics, Merton provides insights you will never get in your Sunday homily, or even through your participation in a Mass that these days, seems to have left out so much that is sacred.

Moved by this slim volume by Thomas Merton, I found "Thoughts in Solitude" to be worth a second read three years after the initial purchase and first reading. Call this an accidental second reading, and a good accident for I had not planned on revisiting the title. To my pleasure, the book is good if not better the second time around. For I was moved by the love this man holds for God, or held, since he is now many years dead. In this book, he lives, and he is as well as a man of God who sought God, but a writer who has the writer's gift of telling us some of the journey of getting closer to God. Or as he might say, God allowing someone to get closer to Him. That is good news.Readable, and certainly quick going but the kind of book one goes through "easily," it is a book that allows for reflection. I wondered about humility, and I wondered how in the world could something like humility be available to a layman, especially one who has neither the desire for nor the means of holding and having solitude as did Thomas Merton.I think Thomas Merton held solitude, as one embraces something, as one would embrace God. As a man or woman comes to Christ. Intangible as that may sound, the writer brings the reader to come with him on the inner journey and the journey of desire to be with God in quiet and solitude. Not alone, but in a solitude that is like a solidarity with the Almighty. This is the having solitude that I mention. Or so I understand it by the book.But I did not come to the book, after reading a while, to admire Thomas Merton. Of course, I do. I did not come to the book to get secrets about God, but Thomas Merton says there are secrets available to those who read the scriptures. There is both the telling and the untelling of a relationship with God that explains to the reader, through inference and through his reflections, that solitude brings people to mystery. I want to believe that there is mystery in the relationship with Christ, that in God we find and feel things (called religious experience) that are not available to us other ways. Thomas Merton writes of religious experience in this book, and he does it very well.I'm sure you have heard that this is the second of his books that critics cite as one of his two best. The other is, "The Seven Story Mountain." I read that book as the first of his books I read. I am glad I did. Here I stop a moment to tell you I am not doing justice to his writing, for in both books he is a spiritual master. Here he writes of the spiritual life, and for me it is the beginnings of thought on considering spiritual life:"Spiritual life is not mental life. It is not thought alone. Nor is it, of course, a life of sensation, a life of feeling--'feeling" and experiencing the things of the spirit, and the things of God.Nor does the spiritual life exclude thought and feeling. It needs both."I like how he explains this explanation, saying, "Everything must be elevated and transformed by the action of God, in love and faith."The end of the book is like a prayer, and the entire book has a prayer quality to it. The chapters are short. They are like arrows of writing. There is a warmth to the writing, and an inviting quality is evident because Thomas Merton wants his reader to know what it is to love God, and to recognize this is what a man or woman may have in his or her lifetime.As I come to the end of this review, it is important to remark that a reader can take his affection, even his passionate humility tempered in a life of solitude, and find ways of understanding and coming closer to God. I grant his is a holy life, an easy thing to say, and I want to close with this quote:"The solitary life is a life in which we cast our care upon the Lord and delight only in the help that comes from Him. Whatever He does is our joy. We reproduce His goodness in us by our gratitude. (Or--our gratitude is the reflection of His mercy. It is what makes us like Him.)Peter Menkin, Epiphany

Easy read with profound statements scattered throughout the work. As relevant today as it was then. It feels like Merton addresses the reader but it’s his inner dialogue with that God he has invited us to listen to and participate in.

Such wisdom how to live a spiritual life

Anything about Thomas Merton or by Thomas Merton is great for reflection. That is what I use it for.

nice way to end the day with a few short passages to reflect on.

I have kept a copy of this book in reach all my adult life. I'm now 68 and this copy I bought to give to a friend who has converted to Catholicism. It is a great book for those who are finding their religious vocation turns towards contemplation and silence. It is in part triggered by Max Picards THE WORLD OF SILENCE, and takes the reader into the reality of silence, not as something absent but as something active, perpahs creative, perhaps fundamental to human consciousness. Buying this for my friend get me interested in Max Picard's work again, and I searched a used copy of thE WORLD OF SILENCE -- hard to finnd unless you aim to pay a lot -- but this book is great for meditation and soul nurturing in oneself. Much sollace. I would like to add, although I love Picard's book, used it begins to be available about $40, but this book by Merton distills the key elements of THE WORLD OF SILENCE plus adds Merton's unique touch. Merton, novice master for years as a Trappist and his time spent in solitude in a hermitage, all contributes to a wonderful poetic insight into the soul's needs, and that which can touch the soul is defined and offered in terms we all can relate to. I recommend Merton even to non-Catholics, even to non-Chistians, because his wisdom is at the transpersonal and universal level. It can be great food for contemplation. I usually sit, read a short chapter, and then silently sit and meditate upon it. It comforts in these modern times and seems timeless, as well. I have a few other Merton books but this one is the most friendly to meditaion along with his THE BOOK OF HOURS. I recommend them as a pair.

Thomas Merton tells, no teaches, of the many great blessings hidden in our "Being". God is waiting for the gift of us as His dearly loved children in solitude.

Solitude is GoldenA review of “Thoughts in Solitude” (eighteen short chapters on aspects of the spiritual life, and the love of solitude) by Thomas Merton.PreambleThe world is populated by too many mindless men and women. “Automatons cannot make a society”, and thus we must learn how to choose, and especially how to choose the life of faith. We “cannot choose faith unless we have self determination and freedom.” Solitude is a vital tool in enabling choice - “coming to this place [of ability to choose] requires some solitude”.SummaryDeveloping spiritual strength and intimacy with God requires spiritual disciplines. Perhaps solitude is one of the most important and least utilised. Jesus sets the example: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 NIV11; cf. Luke 5:16). Merton’s message is a challenge to courageously enter the ‘desert’ of solitude, “Man's despair will never be solved by conquering the wilderness with materialism, instead his despair will be solved by embracing the wilderness and it's solitude, and there finding God.” p22 I recommend the book with some caveats. It is best read a chapter at a time, and perhaps once a week. The text deserves proper reflection and assessment as to the accuracy and efficacy of his recommendations. Not all suggestions will appeal or work for all people.Body of the BookIn part one, “Aspects of the Spiritual Life”, Merton introduces us to the value of the ‘desert’ as wildernesses, “created by God so people can only enjoy him.” In other words, since there is nothing else other than God in the wilderness, we can settle the heart on him. Deserts require self-denial which, “should strengthen our appreciation of emotion.” Joy is heightened by focus, not abundance. The desert is conducive to self-work, enabling us “to have enough mastery of ourselves to renounce our own will into the hands of Christ – so that he may conquer what we cannot reach by our own efforts.” Christlike behaviour is aided by remembering the pleasure of a good act, not to feel good, but to remember that it is more delightful and fruitful "than the acts of vice which oppose and frustrate them". It is good to take pleasure in serving the poor, speaking the gospel to people, and such like.Discretion is a key aspect of the spiritual life, but laziness and cowardice can mask as discretion. “Discretion warns us against wasted effort: but for the coward all effort is wasted effort. Discretion shows us where effort is wasted and when it is obligatory. Laziness flies from all risk. Discretion flies from useless risk: but urges us on to take the risks that faith and the grace of God demands of us.” Courage is needed. Cowardice prevents both faith and hope. Yet we are weak. How will God respond? Going to God fully conscious of our weakness is helpful and necessary for us to fully experience his love for us. Therefore we should rejoice in our poverty.God gives us pleasures in this life, but we do well not to grasp them too firmly. Merton reminds us, “My hope is in what the eye has never seen. Therefore, let me not trust in visible rewards. My hope is in what the heart of man cannot feel. Therefore let me not trust in the feelings of my heart. My hope is in what the hand of man has never touched. Do not let me trust what I can grasp between my fingers. Death will loosen my grasp and my vain hope will be gone.” Instead, we are grateful for whatever God provides. “Gratitude of itself makes us sincere - or if it does not, then it is not true gratitude”, says Merton, and true gratitude is the strongest defence against tepidity.Humility is perhaps the king of virtues. But, can we love ourselves while remaining humble? The proud man loves himself because he thinks he deserves it. We love ourselves because in loving what we are, it means we have accepted it and that takes us to the mercy of God. Jesus lived a humble life for a purpose. He “lived the ordinary life of the men of his time, in order to sanctify the ordinary lives of men of all time.” Living as he lived requires meditation in prayer. Meditative prayer is bringing the whole of the self to God. Physical, spiritual, emotional. Therefore, it requires significant effort, or "upheaval" as Merton calls it. And prayer, while meditative, is not pure introspection - “We ruin our life of prayer if we are constantly examining our prayer and seeking the fruit of prayer in a peace that is nothing more than a psychological process.” Pure prayer helps refine our will to that of God. To live a truly spiritual life, and one which glorifies God, we must live the will of God and this will connect us with his mercy, because we can only do this with his mercy empowering us. This leaves the question as to how we know that we are living the will of God. Merton seems to be saying that this becomes clear when we remove desire for anything attached to this world. That might work for a monk, but will it work for everyone else?Reading is a spiritual discipline. It “ought to be an act of homage to the God of all truth”, because books can "bring us light and peace and fill us with silence.” While reading we must not forget to look for the person in the words and the book, instead of just an idea. It's all about Jesus - "the incarnate Word, is the book of life in whom we read God.” Looking for Jesus stimulates our humility, even though it is a frightening prospect. It is frightening because it is impossible. Merton says that we like a false and shallow humility, humility that he describes as making a person "charming and attractive". But true humility is a humility that knows it is a liar!Part two, “The Love of Solitude” focusses on how to enjoy and value solitude. We will have to reckon with anxiety. Merton suggests that “our anxiety is not imposed on us by force from outside. We impose it on our world and upon one another from within ourselves.” How do we respond to challenges and incompletions? “We are not meant to resolve all contradictions but to live with them and rise above them and see them in the light of exterior and objective values which make them trivial by comparison.” (see Isaiah 30:15) Merton appears to be urging us to employ silence as a state that will prevent us from trying to fix our problems by human effort, but instead letting God be God and allow him to define himself to us and his relationship with us. Is this passive?What action is needful? Merton would argue that listening is not passive - “He is heard only when we hope to hear Him, and if, thinking our hope to be fulfilled, we cease to listen, He ceases to speak, His silence ceases to be vivid and becomes dead, even though we re-charge it with the echo of our own emotional noise.” Resting in God does not mean we do not continue to seek him. A growing relationship requires that we are active in seeking. If we become passive, the resting will become a false contentment and we will find God withdrawing. Or is it us who withdraws?How is prayer affected? Merton comments, “If my prayer is centred in myself, if it seeks only an enrichment of my own self, my prayer itself will be my greatest potential distraction.” When our hearts are truly centred on God, and everything within us is unified in that, then we do not seek things from God as our fulfilment. Because God is already our fulfilment. However, I would question how this fits with Jesus telling us to ask for our daily bread.Solitude helps us grow because it is in silence that we become more aware of the immensity of God. “It is a greater thing and a better prayer to live in him who is infinite, and to rejoice that he is infinite, than to strive always to press his infinity into the narrow space of our own hearts.” Trying to bring God into us diminishes him. Taking ourself into him grows us.Solitude is not an end in itself, however. “Actions are the doors and windows of being. Unless we act we have no way of knowing what we are. Hence to find our spiritual being we must travel down the path made by our spiritual activity.” We find who we are in solitude and in action. “I do not have to run away from myself; it is sufficient that I find myself, not as I have made myself, by my stupidity, but as he has made me in his wisdom and re-made me in his infinite mercy.”In essence the book is concerned with creating space to be heard, to hear and to handle reality - with God. Merton gives us plenty of sound reasoning to demonstrate the value of solitude. His use of scripture to support his points is of variable effectiveness, and some of his interpretation ventures into more allegorical territory than is warranted. Indeed, more scripture overall would have been helpful. My primary criticism of this book would be Merton’s argument that to be a solitary is a vocation. There is scant Biblical testimony for this. To choose such a life cannot be easy. But it does avoid many of the community aspects of the way God forms Christ in us. I can’t help but wonder if a certain kind of person becomes a solitary to avoid those hardships.ConclusionMost of the short chapters are compact nuggets of spiritual gold. Some are more questionable as to their relevance for the average Christ-follower. Read this book and you will likely benefit from its company and reach the conclusion that more ‘solitude’ in your life would be helpful. Keep an open mind about what makes you uncomfortable, but do not accept all Merton’s ideas just because they come from such a persuasive writer and deep thinker.Malcolm Cox23 March 2017The final chapter contains this helpful paragraph on how we read the Bible:“To those who read scripture in an academic or aesthetic or merely devotional way the Bible indeed offers pleasant refreshment and profitable thoughts. But to learn the inner secrets of the Scriptures we must make them our true daily bread, find God in them when we are in greatest need-and usually when we can find him nowhere else and have nowhere else to look!”

Though pocket-sized the essence of Merton's thoughts on the value of inner solitude in bringing our lives to glorious joyful fruition seep out of the 37 chapters. Solitude is not just a matter of withdrawing from the world - Merton doesn't recommend we all become hermits. Instead he suggests that by deepening our inner lives we are better able to serve the world with more wisdom and joy.This little book is divided into two parts: 1) Aspects of the spiritual life and 2) The Love of Solitude.Aspects of spiritual life: This part provides a series of reflections/meditations on such subjects as: the danger of being immersed in unreality; avoiding the abyss or desert of despair; seeing that our temperament is a gift from God and making use of what we have been gifted; being aware that emotions are just as important as reason and that self-denial can be dangerous; suffering is part of life; Spiritual life is not thought alone nor a life a feeling alone - balance is important; real self-conquest comes from the Holy Spirit not from the self; laziness and lack of discipline are blocks in the spiritual life; there is no spiritual life outside the love of Christ; to have a spiritual life you must unify your life, etc. This chapter is very rich and this is just a digest of some of the areas Merton touches on. Plenty of grist to the mill of contemplation and action.The Love of Solitude: The second part reveals Merton's thoughts on such topics as: solitude can happen at any moment despite what the external circumstances are when a man is suddenly aware of his inalienable solitude and sees that he will never be anything other than solitary; how we do not know who we are or where we are going much of the time; our age as an age of anxiety; Words stand in the way of silence; a man has found his vocation when he stops thinking about how to live and just lives; the need to find silence within others as well as in ourselves; pride and humility seek silence; liberation through silence; as soon as you are really alone you are with God, and so much more ... saturated with wisdom.One of those books to slip into a jacket pocket or handbag for moments of solitude when you need support or a guide in your reflections on the spiritual life. A lifetime pocket companion.

This book was bought for my son who sems to have enjoyed it

I am enjoying Thoughts in Solitude.I was disappointed that the Preface was much underlined.Thank Goodness that the rest of the book was in better condition .The Seven Storey Mountain was in very good condition and I was able to pass it on as a much appreciated gift,thank you . Mary

Not quite as rivetting as I expected. I bought this as Jon Katz referred to him in one of his books 'Running to the Mountain', but so far Jon's book has done more for me spiritually than this one.