I have just finished reading Thomas Merton's The Living Bread, one of his least known but best works, at least according to the blogger. Since starting to read Merton I have been fascinated by his love for the Fathers, liturgy and scripture. It is quite disappointing that Merton never took this further because he could have been one of the Church's finest scholars and contributed a great deal to making theology more accessible to the faithful because his style of writing is simple yet sublime. In several places he echoes the words of Bishop Fulton Sheen, particularly when writing of the priest's vocation to sacrifice and service. I don't think I will ever understand Merton the man, who was about as complex a Catholic as you can get and sometimes seemed to forget that he was just that, particularly in his later years.
I will include some choice quotations from The Living Bread over the next few posts, which might interest readers and perhaps deepen their understanding of the Eucharist. To begin with here is Merton on contemplating the Blessed Sacrament.
"Our contemplation is a worship that anticipates the vision and the praise of heaven. Though we may hardly feel anything of the kind, we must realise that the meditation which prolongs our Mass and Communion is also a mysterious reproduction on earth of the great chorus of adoration that goes up even now in heaven before God.
What do we see before us in the empty church? A little altar, a poorly furnished sanctuary, a couple of statues of doubtful artistic worth, a cracked wall darkened by the smoke of candles and stained by dampness? A tabernacle that no one consider worthy to be the dwelling of a doll, let alone a king? But no, that is not what we see. Let us look rather thorough the eyes of St. John:
And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing, as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new canticle, saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the book and to open the seals thereof: because thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation: And hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. (Rev 5: 6-10)
In that great act of worship, we have our place. Poor though we may be, we are the members of Christ, and therefore our prayers contribute something to the cloud of incense which goes up from the golden bowls. We are in the presence of the Living Chris. Our prayers are united to the prayers of His saints."
PS For those wondering if I finished the Sign of Jonas, I am upto the last chapter but decided to read the Living Bread instead because I have been desperate for a copy since reading a quotation from it a few years back.
I will include some choice quotations from The Living Bread over the next few posts, which might interest readers and perhaps deepen their understanding of the Eucharist. To begin with here is Merton on contemplating the Blessed Sacrament.
"Our contemplation is a worship that anticipates the vision and the praise of heaven. Though we may hardly feel anything of the kind, we must realise that the meditation which prolongs our Mass and Communion is also a mysterious reproduction on earth of the great chorus of adoration that goes up even now in heaven before God.
What do we see before us in the empty church? A little altar, a poorly furnished sanctuary, a couple of statues of doubtful artistic worth, a cracked wall darkened by the smoke of candles and stained by dampness? A tabernacle that no one consider worthy to be the dwelling of a doll, let alone a king? But no, that is not what we see. Let us look rather thorough the eyes of St. John:
And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing, as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new canticle, saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the book and to open the seals thereof: because thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation: And hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. (Rev 5: 6-10)
In that great act of worship, we have our place. Poor though we may be, we are the members of Christ, and therefore our prayers contribute something to the cloud of incense which goes up from the golden bowls. We are in the presence of the Living Chris. Our prayers are united to the prayers of His saints."
PS For those wondering if I finished the Sign of Jonas, I am upto the last chapter but decided to read the Living Bread instead because I have been desperate for a copy since reading a quotation from it a few years back.
posted by Lactantius at
10:08 pm
