From: stabosz@chopin.udel.edu (Rae Stabosz)
Subject: Re: Nature of List--Fossil
Organization: University of Delaware
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 12:25:47 GMT

In article <9211130009.AA46289@chaos.intercon.com> Amanda Walker <amanda@INTERCON.COM> writes:
>I have not gotten this impression at all.  In fact, the most inspiring
>works I have found concerning the inner life and learning to be centered on
>God in all things are by Roman Catholics.  For example, Thomas Merton's
>lectures "The Mystical Life" and "The Vow of Conversion," which he gave to
>the monks at Gethsemani and are now available on cassette, are absolutely
>I'll let him speak for himself :).
>
>Well, my tastes probably run more liberal than you are looking for :).  I'm
>rather fond of much of Matthew Fox's work, for example, although even I think
>he occasionnally goes off the deep end.  I would encourage you to look for
>Merton's monastic material, though--the cassettes of his lectures at
>Gethsemani are published by Creedence Cassettes, and his notes are published
>by Cistercian Publications.  I can dig up addresses and phone numbers if
>there's interest.
>
>
>This probably sounds like a flippant answer, but my first reaction is to say
>"pray!".  If you do not already pursue a solid daily life of prayer and
>private devotions, it is probably the single most effective way to find
>insight about what to do with your life.  Unfortunately, it seems that today
>
>Something else that I have found extremely useful is to go on a religious
>retreat at least once a year.  Now, this does take time, and it may be hard
>to initially set up if you are not already part of a religious community
>which can arrange such things.  However, the benefits are well worth the
>trouble.  Even something as simple as visiting a convent or monastery for a
>long weekend can be a deeply renewing experience.  Pushing all of the little
>
>In peace and love,
>
>Amanda Walker


***>--
Hi Amanda,

Everything you say here is right on the mark.  Thanks.  I have a great
love for Thomas Merton, and although I am becoming more conservative in
my Catholicism all the time, or so it seems, :-), I am not ready to
agree with those who says he is "suspect" as a Catholic, and full of
modernist heresy.  Those cassette tapes you speak of -- both me and a
girlfriend have long been on the verge of ordering one of these -- we
get a catalog that regularly sells them -- and we have not done it both
for a very silly reason -- bordering on fandom!  We both are afraid that
when we hear his voice it might not fit our image of him and that we
will be disappointed in the "real" Merton, the fleshy one, as opposed
to reading his books.  You know, like he might have a high squeaky
voice or something like that!  This is very goofy, and now that I've
heard someone who says they are valuable, I think I'll break down and
buy one for Debbie for Christmas, then she can let me hear it when she
is done with it.  Or vice versa -- tell her to go ahead and order me
one.

I also found The Magical Mystical Bear (I think that's the name of it)
by Matthew Fox to be a wonderfully liberating book, although I didn't
care for The Coming of the Cosmic Christ.  And St. Teresa is a very
good read.  Alexander Pruss recently wrote somewhere that folks tend
to think of her and Aquinas and John of the Cross as too "difficult"
but that really they are quite readable by anyone, and the more I hear
of Catholic reading lists and see the same names come up, the more
I think that this is true.  

Mostly, though, what you say about prayer is true.  The deeper my
prayer, the deeper and more satisfying is my own personal "quest" to
do God's will and be Jesus walking the earth in Newark, DE.  I
am going to heed your advice about a retreat, because it's been awhile
since I have made a formal one.  There's a Visitation Monastery nearby
which is relocated to New York (I think) in a few months.  My first
spiritual mentor lived there from age 50 when she entered until her
death at age 88.  They have non-directed retreats which a friend of
mine is going to take advantage of in January, and I think I will
get in line to do the same.

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted about problems integrating
the old Church with the new.  I've had a lot of optimistic thoughts
since then.  I really think the integration is of absolute importance:
Christ is too important to be divided into pieces, parts of Him
eating with the liberals, parts of Him praying with the conservatives
(:-) don't take offense anyone!).  He needs to be whole, as do we
all.

Rae

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