What a 20th century monk can teach us about living (with Sophfronia Scott)

“For as much as we seek our paths and have questions about the journey, there is a sense deep within us, like a primeval compass, that shows we already know where to go.” – Sophfronia Scott

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Sophfronia talk about how they came to know of Merton, and how his journals reveal his truer self (2:00); being “spiritual but not religious,” the language of beholding versus the language of belief, and how interactions with nature are a spiritual exercise (9:00); human versus divine love, and how the most spiritual moments are often the most difficult ones in life (17:00); the importance of seeking a life of needing less, and how not be in a constant state of wanting (25:00); contemplation versus activism, learning to love people we do not agree with, and regulating desire in a world of abundance (34:30); and what Merton’s example can teach us in the 21st century, in an age of click-bait and decontextualized life (45:00).

Sophfronia Scott (@Sophfronia) is the author of five books. Her newest, The Seeker and the Monk, is about Catholic writer and activist Thomas Merton. She last appeared on Deviate to discuss mid-life career change, and her role in defining Generation X.

Notable Links:

• Thomas Merton (monk and writer)
• Merton Prayer
• Conjectures of a Guilt Bystander (1968 Merton book)
• The Seven Storey Mountain (1948 Merton autobiography)
• The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (1975 book)
• Festival of Faith and Writing
• Barbara Brown Taylor (theologian)
• New Seeds of Contemplation (1962 Merton book)
• Moonstruck (1987 movie)
• Abbey of Gethsemani (Merton’s monastery in Kentucky)
• Henri Nouwen (theologian)
• 2021 Capitol insurrection (attack on the U.S. Congress)
• Sandy Hook shooting (2012 mass shooting)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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