Mary Gordon Shambhala Press, 160 pages The renowned novelist Mary Gordon has done what few people can do: say something new about Thomas Merton. She begins by announcing the paradox: A monk vowed to silence produced more words than most writers. Though Merton was dedicated to solitude as a Trappist hermit, nevertheless an international company of seekers, celebrities, writers and activists were drawn to him for guidance. Thus the paradox: solitude gives birth to community — a community that continues 40 years after his death. Silence brought forth the written word akin to a tsunami. Gordon explores the paradox that is Merton, choosing selections from his writings that give insight into him not only as a monk, but as a writer. We learn that Merton was forever chafing under the strictures of his monastic life, especially the demands placed upon him by his superior to write for an audience that would be drawn to Catholic spirituality. What kind of writer would he be? That is a … [Read more...]

Michael Mather Eerdmans, 160 pages It’s hard to imagine any pastor in their right mind closing down a basketball program that brings in 250 inner-city youth from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday-Friday, but Mike Mather did. Why? While patting himself on the back from the media coverage Mather received as a young associate pastor presiding over 250 “impoverished” souls, nine young men in a four-block radius around Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis died from violence in nine months. His church was “helping a few people beat the odds,” but not “changing the odds for everyone.” And he was determined to do the latter. Later, as a solo pastor in South Bend, Indiana, on Pentecost Sunday, he read aloud Joel’s prophecy: “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.” But after church a congregant called his bluff: “If what God said is true, why don’t we treat people like that? … At the food pantry, we ask people how poor they are rather than how rich they are. Peter is saying all people … [Read more...]