The Silent Life

The Silent Life by Thomas Merton, 176 pages

 

This is a sustained, book-length reflection on the nature and meaning of monastic life and the monastic vocation, divided into two broad classes - the monk in community and the hermit, the former being represented by the Benedictines and Cistercians, the latter by the Carthusians and Camaldolese.  Merton does not deal with the more externally active orders, such as the mendicants, since his central theme is a rebuke of the Josephist attitude (just as prevalent in our time as in 18th century Vienna) that external works - that is, social utility - justify an order's existence.  The vital reason for monasteries is so that men may seek God more freely and fully.  All else is secondary.

 

This is not one of Merton's confessional works (The Seven-Storey Mountain), but it is clearly shaped by his own experiences (and struggles) as a Trappist monk.  This adds a certain additional depth to the work - Merton was only too aware that the voice of his abbot did not always sound to him like the voice of God, but understood that this, too, is part of the monastic vocation.  But Merton does not allow his own tradition to dominate his outlook, either, presenting a truly Catholic balance which recognizes the diversity of human experiences.  In keeping with this, there is much for those living outside the cloister to learn and apply as well.