Patrick F. O'Connell

Encounters in Thought

Philosophy

“In this wise, wide-ranging book, drawing on models as disparate as Anselm of Canterbury and Malcolm X, Aaron Kerr encourages us to move beyond the passivity of digital distractions and the narrowness of pragmatic, often exploitative technologism to develop a ‘synergy of mind and heart,’ to recover essential qualities of openness, wonder, receptivity, and contemplation that lead both to authentic personal integration and to creative engagement with the critical problems of our time. The invitation to accompany him on these challenging, exhilarating explorations is an opportunity not to be missed!”

In Search of the Healing Spirit

“Whether reflecting on his own experience as compassionate physician and wounded healer or providing incisive commentary on key aspects of the contemplative, prophetic spirituality of Thomas Merton, the essays of Nass Cannon compiled in this volume are sources of profound insight and challenging inspiration. Deep gratitude is due to his children Clare, John, and Bryant for making these writings of a wise, faithful contemporary Christian disciple and role model available to the rest of us.”

Opening New Horizons

World Religions

“In this challenging yet accessible volume, Joseph Raab convincingly shows how Thomas Merton’s ‘dialogue of religious experience,’ exemplified in his fruitful engagement with Zen scholar D. T. Suzuki, led not only to a recognition and appreciation of the wisdom and goodness present in other spiritual traditions, but to a deeper reflection on and insight into essential Christian beliefs on the nature of God, the centrality of Christ, authentic personhood, and the scope of salvation within and beyond the boundaries of the church. This is the most substantial and stimulating discussion of the explicitly theological dimension of Merton’s thought since Christopher Pramuk’s Sophia.”

Thomas Merton and the Noonday Demon

History & Biography

“This work will certainly take its place as one of the most important biographical studies of Thomas Merton and serve as a significant supplement to the standard accounts of Merton's life by Michael Mott and William Shannon.”

Thomas Merton—Evil and Why We Suffer

Theology

“To the frequently-posed question whether there is anything truly new to be said about Thomas Merton’s work a half-century after his death, David Orberson’s Thomas Merton: Evil and Why We Suffer provides a resoundingly affirmative response. In this clearly organized and lucidly developed discussion, Orberson examines Merton’s ongoing engagement with the problem of theodicy, the tension between traditional belief in an all-powerful, all-good God and the reality of evil and human suffering, and boldly proposes the importance of Merton’s immersion in Zen in the final years of his life as having a profound influence on Merton’s evolving response to this crucial issue. This is a challenging and rewarding presentation of a significant but previously little-studied aspect of Merton’s spiritual and theological vision.”