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From Library Journal
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
ON THE LAST DAY OF JANUARY 1915, UNDER THE SIGN OF the Water Bearer, in a year of great war, and down in the shadow of some French mountains on the borders of Spain, I came into the world. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great autobiography of this important Monastic figure,
By
This review is from: The Seven Storey Mountain: 50th Anniversary (Paperback)
Just about anyone interested in purchasing this book is more than likely somewhat familiar with some of Merton's other works. He was perhaps the 20th century's greatest Christian contemplative mind we had the privilege of reading. This is due to the fact that so many people have expressed over the years that Thomas Merton is the reason they were drawn to the Christian faith. Even people of other religions respect this man's skilled and wise approach to otherwise dogmatic dialogues. One of the reason's this autobiography is so wonderful, is that most of us can relate to it's contents. This is not a person who just achieved some sort of "holy lifestyle" without going through some tribulations in his earlier years. What draws one to Thomas Merton is his simplistic writing. In this book we find out what causes produced the effect of wanting to join the Abbey of Gethsemani down in Kentucky for him. From his years growing up in France, then on to England. Back to new York. And then, he found his home. That home was the Abbey of Gethsemani. Merton is able to bring people closer to Jesus, because he makes the story alive. Relevant to this very life in a modern era, not just a society that we are all too disconnected from by now (the society during the times of Jesus). This book is so applicable to 2004, not withstanding the fact that there are a great many of his years not documented in this work stemming from it's publication to his Death in Thailand. Recalling a sad time soon after his acceptance of Christianity, Merton quotes God's caution to the Israelites, "For the Land which thou goest to possess is not like the land of Egypt," and remarks that he had "made the terrible mistake of entering the Christian life as if it were merely the natural life invested with a kind of supernatural mode by grace." He slowly and nervously was to learn God was dreadfully more than some mere underwriter of value. In this book Merton shows a hungriness, a drive to understand the meaning of life. The secret to living a completely holy life, immersed in servitude to our Creator. This hungriness we can all relate to, it is the drive to understand truth.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Inspiring Journey of Faith,
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This review is from: The Seven Storey Mountain: 50th Anniversary (Paperback)
This famous autobiography chronicles the author's life from childhood up to the point as a young man he makes the bold decision to enter the Trappist order. Like many of us, Merton spiritually sleepwalks through much of his youth. But gradually, he is drawn to God as he comes to perceive the shallowness and futility of the intellectuality and self-indulgence that had thusfar characterized his life. Eventually his love for God becomes a passion of awesome proportions, enabling him to bring his life into a wonderous balance, inspiring him to write some of the most influential religious reflections of our age or perhaps any age. The questions Merton grapples with here--how to balance the seemingly conflicting impulses of our intellect, passions, and spirit--are timeless. Anyone looking for greater harmony in his/her life will undoubtedly find great insight and inspiration from Merton's story. Also--I think today "The Seven Storey Mountain" is particularly relevant because of its historical context, which so closely parallels our own. Much of Merton's story takes place during the outbreak of World War II. As war looms larger and larger, Merton describes with great unease the sense of impending doom, the uncertainty of where the world is heading, and yet the certainty it is heading somewhere disturbing and dangerous. As I read Merton's reflections on the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia--a defining act of war--for a moment I thought I was reading about September 11. The looming threat of terrorism gives us a newfound ability to relate to Merton's world, and this I think makes his message far more accessible, meaningful, and necessary for us to hear.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the Deeply Contemplative,
By
This review is from: The Seven Storey Mountain: 50th Anniversary (Paperback)
Thomas Merton is a wonderful voice for the spiritual yearning that lies within us all. Merton, a trappist monk expressed the spirituality of so many people that longed for a religion that could both function within the bounds of Christianity and bring it to life. Thus it is with this poet, monk, and student of the Zen Masters the world recieved a new voice on its oldest subject. In this book, Merton's spiritual autobiography, one comes in contact with a truly beautiful human being. This book has my nomination for the great twentieth century American novel. It is a book in which every word echoes the warmth and passion of its author.Thomas, You will be sadly missed.
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