THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN BY THOMAS MERTON
(PUBLISHER: HARCOURT BRACE, 1948)
Thomas Merton is one of the most remarkable minds of the mid-20th century Catholic world. The Seven Storey Mountain is his autobiography. Born in France, Merton came from an anti-Catholic background. He had a tempestuous life till his entry into the Catholic faith at age 23. After years of moral confusion, sexual profligacy and personal search, he became a Trappist monk at 31. Merton’s self-revelation appeals to the modern mind, especially the young in their deep-seated aspirations disappointments and confusions. God is not to be sought in visions and mystical raptures—not everyone gets them—but in the humdrum events and trials of ordinary life. The title is drawn from Book II of Dante’s epic The Divine Comedy, Purgatorio which presents Purgatory as a seven storey mountain. Leaving Cambridge after a life of debauchery, Merton at Columbia University courted Marxism. In the end he realised that he was “sick of being sick.” His observation at one moment is an incisive comment on the modern world: “Men who live only according to their five senses, and seek nothing beyond the gratification of their natural appetites for pleasure and reputation and power, cut themselves off from that charity which is the principle of all spiritual vitality and happiness because it alone saves us from the barren wilderness of our own abominable selfishness.” Merton also introduces us to some of the remarkable individuals that influenced him one way or other. In the conclusion his words echo St Augustine: “My God, it is that gap and that distance which kills me…That is the only reason why I desire Solitude… to be lost to all create things, to die to them… for they remind me of my distance from you.” Surprisingly the book became an instant success and continues to be read widely by seekers of faith a well as the faithful. Time magazine and The New York Times listed it among the best sellers for about a year. The critic William J. Petersen lists it in the 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century. Fulton J. Sheen called it “a twentieth century form of The Confessions of St. Augustine.”
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PROPHETS WITH WINGS: ACCOMPANYING THE YOUNG IN TODAY’S INDIA.
EDITED BY JESU PUDUMAI DOSS & SAHAYADAS FERNANDO (NEW DELHI: AIDBES, 2018. RS 300)
The sixteen chapters of this book, each written by a Salesian author and looking at one aspect of youth ministry today, bring us a fresh and competent look at the youth scene today and the ways we need to respond to it. Here are the themes dealt with: Responses of the young to a questionnaire; Rights in the Church; Intercultural approach to catechesis; Vocational discernment; Biblical models of accompaniment; The Centurion of Capernaum as a leadership model; Socio-political discernment of youth; Peace education for India; Perspectives of Indian educationists; Human enhancements and moral discernment; Accompanying the young in the spirit of Laudato Si; Social responsibility; Accompaniment of tribal youth; Motivational approaches; Spirituality beyond religions; Psychospiritual perspective. Much information and many insights and clarifications are found in the 369 large pages. India is a country of young people; the church needs to reach out to youth in loving and effective ways. This book provides much information on the world of the young, and sensible suggestions on how to make a difference for the better.
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