Thomas Merton Ways of Meditation

Thomas Merton Ways of Meditation

            Thomas Merton’s section on Meditation was a good follow-up to last week’s section on solitude. Merton reminds me that meditation is not a formula, system, or method, but an attitude and outlook (65). Meditation, especially in our modern age of never-ending distractions, is something that is learned – it is not natural (66). But this learning is internal and not based on a script.

            Meditation will take effort. In my quiet times, I usually feel refreshed and closer to God through my interactions with Him through the Holy Spirit. However, I do go through dry times when meditation is hard. Merton reminds me that these hard times of meditation can be just as, if not more, fruitful than the times of refreshing (66). The point is that there needs to be an effort made in meditation. As Merton states, obedience means that even a little effort can be very productive (67).

            Merton also encourages the use of a Spiritual Director in meditation (67). My spiritual director fits the mold Merton has laid out. He is someone who can guide and direct me in my spiritual development as well as rein me in when I am going off the rails. He guides me in a way that is not formulaic, but in a way that is open to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. He also encourages me to keep at it as there are “no tricks or shortcuts” (67).

            Lastly, Merton points out that meditation, and in my view, all of the spiritual disciplines for that matter, must be rooted in “real life” (69). Meditation is not engaging in an abstract kind of fantasy world, but is rooted in the realities of the right here and right now. Genuine prayer and meditation center me in the real-life here and now of the Kingdom of God.

All references with page numbers are from Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, Revised and expanded (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2005).