| Author Quoted | |
| Title Quoted | Rule for Recluses |
| Date (Year/Month/Day) | 1966/01/15 |
| Imprint | |
| Quotation | A Rule for Recluses edited by Olgin in Antonianum came on interlibrary loan from St. Bona's [St. Bonaventure University]. Though it is rather pedestrian yet it means a great deal. (English Rule of 13th century, or later.) There is no question that documents like this really speak to me and move me. I am completely attuned to them and to that time (Isaac of Stella, for instance). Lately with all the emphasis on being "contemporary" I have perhaps felt a little guilt about my love for the Middle Ages. This a foolish and rather servile feeling, really! "You have been bought with a great price - do not become the slaves of men!" (I Cor. 7:23) Where is my independence? That is the meaning of solitude, to be free from the compulsion of fashion, dead custom etc., and to be really open to the Holy Spirit. I see, once again, how muddled and distracted I am. Not free! |
| Quotation Source | Learning to love: exploring solitude and freedom. The Journals of Thomas Merton, Volume 6, 1966-1967.; Edited by Christine M. Bochen. / [San Francisco] : HarperCollins. 1997, p. 6-7 |
| Letter to | |
| Notes | |
| Link to Merton's Copy |
(If there is a link above showing up as a number, click it to open another window with a full text version.) |