Bread in the Wilderness (New Directions Classic)

Rating:
Summary: Among Merton's Finest Books!
Review: I commend New Directions for issuing a facsimile reprint of the original of this valuable book. Who would not say that here is a publishing company of enduring and impeccable taste? I have a copy of the original cloth bound book- it is beautiful, and easily one of my top twenty favorite books. I believe this is the book that comes most surely from Merton the poet. His consideration of the Psalms is inspired; the language in this book is as severe and ecstatic as are the Psalms themselves, and his insight into their relevance is without peer. The brevity of Merton's exposition is part of its potency. Nothing is wasted. Like the Psalms themselves, the veins of this book run deep in kingly rivers, announcing the heart of God like a morning song. Merton's interior acquisition of that song is of epic intensity, yet simple as clean water. I believe "Bread in the Wilderness" surpasses even "Seeds of Contemplation" in directness, common heart, and indeed artistic beauty. It's an indescribably beautiful book that moves, aches and rocks, and leads one, ultimately, to the inmost core of revelation, which is, after all, believability. Merton's references to the Psalms can be traced like a monk's thread throughout all of his writing, from the earliest books up through the posthumously published Journals. This book gives us a clear understanding of how constantly faithful Thomas Merton remained not only to the brilliant song of the Psalms themselves, but to the music of his own exceeding heart. And the woodcut Christ on the cover is so unfailingly Cistercian! This is a book that will live forever.

Rating:
Summary: This is a book that every serious student should read.
Review: When Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk, wrote BREAD IN THE WILDERNESS, he had fallen in love with the Psalms of the Old Testament. As a monk, he had chanted the Psalms every day of the week. The monks still do this today. This book is certaily about the Psalms as it relates to people seeking to understand God and Christ. In only the way Thomas Merton can write, one will discover many practical truths about the Psalms. As Merton writes, "The Psalms are theolgy. That means that they place us in direct contact with God, through the assent of faith in His revelation." Even though this is a brief book, it contains large amount of material for thought and study. There are five divisions in the book, and each division highlights how God speaks through the Psalms. To the poet, there are many Psalms of importance. As Merton writes, "The Psalms are poems, and poems have a meanng, although the poet has no obligation to make his meaning immediately clear to anyone who does not want to make an effort to discover it." One of the most ineresting things about the book is how Merton sees Jesus Christ throughout the Psalms. Maybe Merton says it best whe he writes, "The Psalms are more that language. They contain within themselves the silence of high mountains and the silence of heaven. It is only when we stand at the bottom of the mountain that it is hard for us to distinguish the language of the Psalter from the tongues of the earth..." In this book, Merton makes the Psalms come alive. This is a book worth reading.