New Seeds of Contemplation

For a long time, I thought this book had a strange pattern: one chapter would be excellent and thought-provoking, and then the next one would be a drag. It was only about a third of the way through the book that I realized the chapters were pretty steady, but that I only had the mental focus to engage with them for one chapter at a time.

I like a lot of things Merton has written, including this, and I've been grateful for the chance to visit his Trappist monastery in Kentucky. But I will say that New Seeds is pretty thick in places; I think I would have appreciated it a lot more if I had a solid 1-hour per day prayer routine already in place, since he's writing from a monastic setting about how to be a contemplative.

Writing about deep spiritual experiences is almost by definition hard to describe in writing to others, so there's a wide range of poetic language and practical advice. I thought all of his language about the masks we wear and the false selves we show to the world was very astute, and his emphasis on living a life “hidden” with Christ (Colossians 3).

Not a breezy read, but a very thought-provoking one. A good companion to “A Hidden Life” by Terrance Malick, and “That All Shall Be Saved” by David Bentley Hart.

Other strong points: the shallowness of materialism; the importance of treating God like a person in a relationship and not the subject of a study; the purpose of a vow of poverty; emphasis that contemplation and faith make us more human, not less; the last chapter contains one of the best, brief tellings of the Christian view of salvation history and a God who embraces vulnerability and weakness.

“The Saint knows that the world and everything made by God is good, while those who are not saints either think that created things are unholy, or else they don't bother about the question one way or another because they are only interested in themselves”

“Do not think that you can show your love for Christ by hating those who seem to be His enemies on earth. Suppose they really do hate Him; nevertheless He loves them, and you cannot be united with Him until you love them too”

“Do not be too quick to assume that your enemy is an enemy of God just because he is your enemy. Perhaps he is your enemy precisely because he can find nothing in you that gives glory to God.”


“If you have money, consider that perhaps the only reason God allowed it to fall into your hands was in order that you might find joy and perfection by giving it away.”