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During his lifetime, the social and political writings of Thomas Merton caused a ruckus in the Catholic Church and in public opinion at large. No Catholic theologian, and especially not a monk, was supposed to be as explicit as Merton was in his denunciation of racism and his support of the social rights movement, so fierce against the Cold War, the Vietnam war and the atomic bomb, and so strongly in favor of regulations of industry for the sake of the environment —
which was quite a new thing even in his later years. |
His flirting with Marxism — as quite ignorant or disingenuous people would have it — was seen as especially problematic, giving Merton’s influence especially over conscious Catholic laity, as well as monks, nuns, and priests. The possibility that his death should be listed as one of the egregious political assassinations of the late 1960s appears to be high. |
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In his book A Way to God, Matthew comments, after reviewing the evidence: Perhaps we will never know whether or not Merton died as a martyr at the hands of the American government. But it is very possible he did. I believe he did. It is easy to
recognize Merton’s via transformativa not only because his social engagement was so obvious, but because it was for him an integral part of his vocation as a Christian and a human being. As Matthew points out, Merton knew the prophetic tradition very well. In fact, he once wrote a letter to a rabbi saying that he often sat on his front porch in his hermitage and shouted the poetry of Isaiah and others into the air about him. He was aware of the need for both an inner and an outer dimension of the faith. He wrote: “How are we going to affirm to the modern world the scandal of the New Testament? It is here that we confront the seriousness of our prophetic as distinct from our contemplative calling.” |
“Quotes to Live By: Thomas Merton, monk, writer & activist.” Yahia
Lababidi | I would argue that here we find already the core couple of mysticism-prophetism from which Matthew
Fox would later develop the four viae: mysticism divided into sunny (via positiva) and dark (via negativa), and prophetism divided into personal (via creativa) and political (via transformativa), thus reaching a kind of archetypal completion. |
For Merton, in his time and age, and for the people around him, adding the fight for social justice to the contemplative calling of the monk was, however, a big deal. It was still an issue, decades later, for Matthew, who had to confront the listless and sentimental understanding of spirituality put forward by Ratzinger and his cronies. As we know, he answered the question “mysticism or prophecy?” with a both/and, not an either/or, and Merton eventually did the
same. There is no doubt that Merton today would be on the forefront of the protest against the treatment of Palestinians and would denounce loudly the travesty of Judaism performed by the government of the state of Israel. And he would do so in the name of Jewish values. Perhaps a specific trait of Merton’s engagement with the via transformativa is represented by underlining its deep connection with the via creativa: the artist in him is a prophet, and the prophet expresses himself in artistic forms, just as he praised writers and artists of the recent past for their prophetic role, that is, for their ability to
see within society both the cracks and the buddings that others could not yet see. |
This is not dissimilar, in fact, from Matthew’s own notion, which he expounds in one of his early books: The poets, the painters, the musicians, the script writer — those are frequently those who lead the struggle with the demons of life in our day. Listen to Merton addressing an audience
of monastics on |
Student protesters from the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the Vietnam War era. Wikimedia Commons |
the
last day of his life: “Are monks and hippies and poets relevant? No, we are deliberately irrelevant. We live with an ingrained irrelevance which is proper to every human being. The marginal man accepts the basic irrelevance of the human condition, an irrelevance which is manifested above all by the fact of death. The marginal person, the monk, the displaced person, the prisoner, all these people live in the presence of death, which calls into question the meaning of
life.” |
Taking up Merton’s writings today, and doing so with the four paths as an hermeneutical tool, is undoubtedly very enlightening. It is especially complex, however, when it comes to the via transformativa because much of the social and technological contexts have changed, while so many of the problems of his time, instead of going away, have simply grown to monstrous proportions.
Racism, political corruption, ecological destruction, and cynicism have reached a level which Merton could hardly imagine. What would he do?
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Matthew Fox, A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality
Journey, pp. 107, 132, 14
See also Fox, Prayer: A Radical Response to Life, p. 140. See also Fox, Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet
Banner image: “Thomas Merton & Dan Berrigan” — two men of the cloth, both courageous activists. Photo by Jim Forest, November 1964. Flickr. |
Queries for
Contemplation |
How do I address the issue of my own irrelevance in the face of genocide? What does Merton mean by “deliberate irrelevance”? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey
In A Way to God, Fox explores Merton’s pioneering work in interfaith, his
essential teachings on mixing contemplation and action, and how the vision of Meister Eckhart profoundly influenced Merton in what Fox calls his Creation Spirituality journey.
“This wise and marvelous book will profoundly inspire all those who love Merton and want to know him more deeply.” — Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism |
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Prayer: A Radical Response to Life
How do prayer and mysticism relate to the struggle for social and ecological justice? Fox defines prayer as a radical response to life that includes our “Yes” to
life (mysticism) and our “No” to forces that combat life (prophecy). How do we define adult prayer? And how—if at all—do prayer and mysticism relate to the struggle for social and ecological justice? One of Matthew Fox’s earliest books, originally published under the title On Becoming a Musical, Mystical Bear: Spirituality American Style, Prayer introduces a mystical/prophetic spirituality and a mature conception of how to pray. Called a “classic” when it first
appeared, it lays out the difference between the creation spirituality tradition and the fall/redemption tradition that has so dominated Western theology since Augustine. A practical and theoretical book, it lays the groundwork for Fox’s later works.
“One of the finest books I have read on contemporary spirituality.” – Rabbi Sholom A. Singer |
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Creativity: Where the Divine and Human Meet
Because creativity is the key to both our genius and beauty as a species but also to our capacity for evil, we need to teach creativity and to
teach ways of steering this God-like power in directions that promote love of life (biophilia) and not love of death (necrophilia). Pushing well beyond the bounds of conventional Christian doctrine, Fox’s focus on creativity attempts nothing less than to shape a new ethic.
“Matt Fox is a pilgrim who seeks a path into the church of tomorrow. Countless numbers will be happy to follow his lead.” –Bishop John
Shelby Spong, author, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Living in Sin |
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One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more
than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully
express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit |
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| Join Matthew Fox in a 6-Class Course: The Great Christian Mystics, exploring some of the richest and most
inspiring mystic-prophets in the Christian lineage, including Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart. Open-ended course includes six modules of pre-recorded lessons, live community discussions, and live conversations with Matthew Fox. Starts Tuesday, May 20; 10% off discount code: FOX-10 Register HERE. |
May 30 - June 1 - Gathering to Transform: The Way of Justice - Join Matthew Fox and many others in Creation Spirituality Communities 2025. Virtual Gathering - Learn more HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and Brian McLaren in a live webinar, “In the Midst of Doom: Facing Our Moment and Finding Our Way,” hosted by Cameron Trimble of Convergence Lab. Wednesday, June 4, 4-5 pm PT Register HERE. |
MONTHLY: Join Matthew Fox and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors. Last Tuesday of every month, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478
Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
June 7-8 -- Join Matthew Fox and other speakers in a live 2-day webinar, Forming a Unitive Consciousness, hosted by The Aspen Forum. Learn more HERE. |
July 18, 11:30 am PT -- Join Matthew Fox in Angelology: The Physics of Angels, hosted by The Fintry Trust. Learn more HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
The Christian Mystics: Wisdom for Our
Time
Join renowned theologian and spiritual teacher Matthew Fox in a thought-provoking conversation with Ruby Reed on the lives, work and wisdom of some of The Christian Mystics and their vital role in our time.
In this webinar, we’ll explore how the mystic’s path can empower us to cultivate inner transformation and inspire action in the world by saying "Yes" to life and "No" to injustice, whether through art, contemplation, or activism. Discover how their insights can help us rekindle our spiritual fire and meet the needs of our time with resilience and love. This free video promotes Matthew's upcoming 6-session course with Advaya, that will be released on May 8. |
Inspired by this post? Share your insights on BlueSky, Instagram, Universeodon, or Facebook using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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