The Way of Thomas Merton: A Prayer Journey through Lent

The Way of Thomas Merton: A Prayer Journey through Lent

Book Study Guide: Gerry Kelly

Six Thursdays, February 19 to March 26

1:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST

10:00 PST / 11:00 MST / 12:00 CST (includes SK) / 1:00 EST / 2:00 AST

This book study is jointly sponsored by Galilee Centre and Spirit River Community, and will be hosted on zoom by Galilee Centre. Participants living in the Arnprior ON area are also warmly invited to come to the retreat centre to enter into this book study series with others.

To register for this series, click here: https://www.galileecentre.com/the-way-of-thomas-merton/

During this retreat we will be guided through major themes in the life, the teachings and the correspondence of Thomas Merton by the small book The Way of Thomas Merton: A Prayer Journey Through Lent by Robert Inchausti. Dr. Inchausti is, among other things, a foremost Merton authority and author and editor of numerous books including the classic The Pocket Thomas Merton.

We will be asking participants to prayerfully read about three short chapters (approximately 15-20 pages each week) of The Way of Thomas Merton in the week before each session. The reader should be simply attentive to what stands out to them in the section with no pressure to have a comprehensive understanding of the author’s intent. As Merton wrote to his readers in a preface to Seven Storey Mountain “If you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not written in this book. And this is not due to me, but to the One who lives and speaks in both.”

Contemplative Dialogue: Our two hours together each week will be an opportunity to engage in contemplative dialogue for open sharing in a safe space. I use the template developed by Jonathon Montaldo and Robert G. Toth for their series Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton to structure our time together and will follow a five-step pattern of Opening Prayer - prompting dialogue to identify themes emerging- personal silent reflection- dialogue on the fruits of our reflections - closing. Many things can and have been said about contemplative dialogue but the heart of the matter is dialogue that gives primacy to listening.

Thank you for your interest in this retreat and if it seems like a fit for you I hope you can join us.

If you have further questions feel free to send an email to gerry@galileecentre.com.

Peace and all Good

Gerry Kelly

Galilee Manager of Spiritual Programs

February 19th - Merton: A Prophetic Contemplative (Introduction & Chapters 1-3)

“The True Self is not its own centre and does not orbit around itself; it is centered on God, the one centre of all” (Zen and the Birds of Appetite)

February 26th - Antidotes to Illusion (Chapters 4-6)

“Above all we must learn our own weakness in order to awaken to a new order of action and of Being.” (No Man is an Island)

March 5th - Conversion; a Crumbling away of false self (Chapters 7-9)

“So you see, you don’t need to get anywhere or be anybody…you’re already who you are and where you are: home...really God’s house (A Song for Nobody: A Memory Vision of Thomas Merton)

March 12th - Summoned to explore the desert area of the human heart. (Chapters 10-12)

“What we need is the gift of God which makes us able to find in ourselves not just ourselves but Him and then our nothingness becomes his all ” (Seven Storey Mountain)

March 19th - Return from the desert (Chapters 13-16)

“A saint is not someone who has achieved a high degree of sanctity but rather someone who has the ability to perceive the sanctity in everyone else” (New Seeds of Contemplation)

March 26th - The Legacy (Chapters 17-19)

“The outsider who defined himself in opposition to the world…and then discovered a way back into dialogue with it and compassion for it.” (Robert Inchausti)