I recently made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of
Gethsemani, a monastery in Trappist, KY, to sit down with Br. Paul Quenon –
poet, author and novice of perhaps the most influential American contemplative
and monastic writer of the twentieth century, Thomas Merton. Br. Paul was a gracious host who invited me to None (afternoon prayers), a visit to
Merton’s hermitage and a tour of the grounds, and then loaded my arms with several boxes and varieties of his homemade fudge (a true penance in the thick of Lent!). Ora et labora: prayer and fudge.
The memory of this day with Br. Paul - reciting poetry, recalling the lives of saints and sharing stories about his beloved novice master (one of my spiritual heroes) - is one I’ll never forget.
The memory of this day with Br. Paul - reciting poetry, recalling the lives of saints and sharing stories about his beloved novice master (one of my spiritual heroes) - is one I’ll never forget.
Learn more about Br. Paul Quenon and read his wonderful
poems at www.monks.org. And if you haven’t
read Merton, I’d suggest you start HERE with his #1 bestseller and
autobiography, Seven Storey Mountain.
Link on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lift-podcast/id1194719815?mt=2
Link on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-lift-2?refid=stpr
Link on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-lift-2?refid=stpr
In this episode:
0:00 How Thomas Merton experienced God
2:23 Introduction to Br. Paul Quenon
3:01 How Br. Paul became a monk at Gethsemani
3:52 How do you experience God?
4:49 On mystical experience & apophatic spirituality
6:21 What was Merton like?
8:05 Merton’s interfaith work
9:42 How do we build bridges in the spirit of Merton?
11:42 Union with God & other lessons from Merton
