“A rich and remarkably relevant collection!”

“A rich and remarkably relevant collection! Merton challenges Christians to be and become a community of worship, a community of pardon, a community called to ongoing reform and renewal in liturgy and life. For Merton, celebrating the seasons of the liturgical year is an invitation to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of life in Christ.”

Christine M. Bochen
Editor of Thomas Merton: Essential Writings

“Engages with the world.”

“Merton’s writings are as important today as when they were originally published. Merton is concerned with showing how the liturgy breaks down dichotomies between temporal and spiritual worlds. In doing so, Merton makes clear that liturgical renewal is not something that can be imposed or legislated. Real liturgical renewal belongs to all members of the Church. It is the participation of every part of our lives in God’s one cosmic liturgy. The more Merton’s prose is formed by monastic life, the more it engages with the world beyond the monastery, combining the most realistic view of the world’s ills with the greatest hope for redemption in the unfathomable depths of God’s love.”

William T. Cavanaugh
Professor of Theology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

“Marvelous collection.”

“Thomas Merton attained fame for his writings on spirituality. To any who might wonder what he could contribute to the subject of liturgy, I can only recommend that they give this marvelous collection a chance. He has accomplished what we continue to struggle to do: reunite liturgy and spirituality, and make liturgy the fountain of life. He presents the best of the liturgical movement with a clarity and freshness that has lost none of its relevance since the time these articles were written. Each article stands fixed in the great tradition, while it simultaneously breathes the aggiornamento that the Second Vatican Council wished for the Church.”

David Fagerberg
Associate Professor of Theology
Liturgical Studies,
University of Notre Dame