The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Inspiration of His Life, Thought, and Writing eBook: Daniel P. Horan:
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
HASH(0xb1b26084) out of 5 stars A New Scholar Brings A New Lens For Viewing the Life and Work of Thomas Merton 3 October 2014
By I. J. Montaldo - Published on Amazon.com
As someone who has read Thomas Merton since he was thirteen years old, who is about to celebrate his sixty-ninth birthday on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in a few days, who has edited several volumes of Merton's work and served as President of the International Thomas Merton Society, and who is past being eager to read another book about Merton, rather preferring to continue reading Merton himself, I am taken aback at how much I enjoyed and appreciated this new, because more intense, focus employed by Daniel Horan on the Franciscan foundations and influence upon Merton's Cistercian vocation and on key elements of his spiritual legacy. The heart of Horan's good book are Parts II and III. In Part II, "Franciscan Foundations," he employs original research to present a time-line that is more expansive and detailed, than the one more ordinarily constructed by Merton scholars as only brief, of Merton's interest in becoming a Franciscan. He highlights the instigation of Merton's desire to become a priest and Franciscan as it was mentored by Merton's friend and former professor, Daniel Walsh. He sheds better focus on how individual Franciscan friars, especially a foremost scholar of the Franciscan tradition, Father Philotheus Boehner, were crucial in encouraging Merton's studies in Franciscan philosophy and theology, while Merton taught English at what was then Saint Bonaventure College in Olean, New York. In Part III, "Reflections on Faith," Horan successfully uncovers the Franciscan ground of key ideas associated with Merton's writing on spirituality, especially the idea of the "true self," his Christ-centered theology, the motive of Christ's incarnation as an excess of God's love, and Merton's life-long appreciation of his kinship with all beings in creation. Horan carefully examines how much Merton's theological and artistic perspectives in these key ideas are grounded in the writings of Franciscans John Duns Scotus and Saint Bonaventure. Most importantly, he brings to the forefront Merton's continuing reverence for Saint Francis of Assisi and how, beginning from the time Merton becomes a Third-Order Franciscan while teaching at St. Bonaventure's, Francis was a major model for how Merton sought to live out his own search for God in his own century. Horan's writing is clear and his judgments about Francis and Merton are connected to twenty-first century life so that a reader gets the points for her own contemporary experience, but there is nothing light-weight about his text. Although he wears his learning lightly and can write for the general reader, Horan is a scholar. I do judge that this book is not a general introduction into the thought and life of Thomas Merton. It is best approached by someone who has read Merton elsewhere, but "The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton" polishes the Merton corpus anew so that hidden veins of Merton's intellectual history can be better uncovered and the richness below the surface of his thought can be better appreciated. I don't know Daniel Horan personally and have no ax to grind on his behalf, but I am happy to endorse his new book publicly and wish him good work in the many decades of living and writing ahead for this young Franciscan priest and scholar. Jonathan Montaldo
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
HASH(0xb1f6abd8) out of 5 stars Engaging and clear presentation of theological themes in Merton and the Franciscan tradition 2 October 2014
By Jessica Coblentz - Published on Amazon.com
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Dan has given us another great book! I had the pleasure of reading the manuscript while in production, and I have been awaiting its publication ever since. As a causal reader of Merton and the Franciscan tradition, I am grateful for Dan's informative and accessible commentary on the lives of Merton and Francis. My favorite parts of the book are the many chapters Dan dedicates to overlapping theological themes in the works of Merton and the Franciscan tradition. Dan brings his typical clarity of thought and prose to complex theological themes--from theological anthropology and christology to theologies of creation and interreligious dialogue, just to name a few. Not only did I learn great deal from this book, but I was also challenged to reflect on my Christian life in important ways.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
HASH(0xb1b26654) out of 5 stars Unwrapping the nuggets of similarity required the studies of this author 9 November 2014
By Mary Jane Pelletier - Published on Amazon.com
I found Daniel Horan's book to be insightful, surprising, and challengingly practical. I had anticipated references to contemplation and to the false self, and I found in this book a remarkably active interpretation of both - no navel gazing here. I felt as though I somehow walked hand in hand with Daniel Horan, Thomas Merton, and Francis of Assisi as they exchanged ideas, learned from one another, and brought the theoretical to practice through their lives. The interwoven references to vocation, peacemaking, Incarnation, and embracing the stranger gave the book focus and left me with a renewed interest in and commitment to Franciscan spirituality and to contemplative practice. I was delighted to find references to authors who are currently inspiring my learning such as James Finley and Ilia Delio.I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about John Duns Scotus and his influence on the Franciscan school. I find references to the univocity of being, for example, to be relevant to today's environmental crises; thus the book is as much forward-looking as it is a study of past events. I am grateful to Dan Horan for sharing with the reader insights from the intensity of his Franciscan studies over the past several years and the fruits of his Merton studies as well. Only someone fully immersed in both could have written this book.
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