Encounters with Merton: Spiritual Reflection

by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Encounters with Merton brings together two of the 20th century's most important and articulate Christian voices. Henri Nouwen explores themes of solitude, nonviolence, and the encounters between Eastern and Western spirituality as presented by Merton.

Genres: Spirituality, Christianity, Nonfiction, Theology

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, psychologist, professor, and spiritual writer whose work profoundly shaped contemporary Christian spirituality. Born in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, in 1932, Nouwen pursued religious studies and was ordained a priest in 1957. His intellectual curiosity led him to study psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and later at the Menninger Clinic in Kansas, where he explored the connection between faith and mental health. Throughout his life, Nouwen remained committed to integrating pastoral care, psychology, and spiritual theology in a way that addressed the emotional and existential needs of believers.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.

Reviews

[Dichotomy Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago, and remember little of it, except this prayer that I copied out, it ultimately helped me out during one of the darkest time periods of my life.

Merton’s Prayer

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me, I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (Thoughts in Solitude, Thomas Merton, 81)

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

The flaw in this book has nothing to do with Nouwen. It is significant to any assessment to Merton's life and work that in the summer of 1966, when he was 51 years old, Thomas Merton cultivated and had an affair with his 19 year old nurse for over 6 months. This flaw cannot be held against Nouwen, who died 3 years prior to these revelations about Merton's life. However, these dynamics create inherent limitations to any assessment of Merton's thinking and life.

The nature of this book is, as one review has pointed out, less "Classic Nouwen" and more Nouwen revealing his inspirations. Within this context, the book is interesting. However, given the lack of transparency that Merton's life was to Nouwen as he knew him, this book will continue to fall flat as a genuine assessment of Merton, and fails to show Nouwen at his best because he was seeking to highlight someone's life which was marred by secrecy. Even with Gregory Hillis' recent review of the pertinent facts of Merton's affair, two factors continue to limit one's ability to fully understand Merton's hypocrisy to his monastic life and work: 1) The full picture from Merton's perspective continues to be censored from the public's view by his Trust; 2) "M's" perspective of their affair has never been made public.

These factors are not sordid gossip nor the private mistakes in the life of a public person. It is significant to the nature of Merton's work that he was a monk - a monk who had an "affair" (the power dynamics here are nefarious at best - one is tempted to call it sexual abuse), which though it was never consummated (as far as we knew) was intimate enough for Merton to: 1) Journal about the nakedness of M; 2) Assert that due to their intimacy together he knew was now "truly now a man", 3) To ponder connection's between M and Sophia, a central dogma of his contemplative life. These factors create a context where anything Nouwen observes about Merton's spiritual life is blinkered and inadequate. Rather than this being a mark against Nouwen, it is a testament to the nature of how destructive and bewildering these types of events are - in fact, strangely enough, this dynamic is itself an invitation to silence, contemplation, and finding the life of Merton one pointing us towards the experience of God within our own souls in naked honesty.

[Jared Kassebaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't even know this book existed, my favorite author as the topic of one of my other favorite authors, until I was gifted it by a new in-law who knew I was a fan of both. This book gives an insight into the course of Merton's life and thought from the view of another noted contemplative. It gave special insight to the way Merton was seen by contemporaries, which is more about his activism and how his contemplation played into it, than what most modern readers see, and has opened my eyes to the importance of some of his now-lesser-known works on non-violence and other social issues.

[Mike Nicastro · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Merton hopes that the East could help us again recognize the Christian sense of Kenosis, self-emptying. The actual experience of God will never really be possible if we are constantly busy with the cultivation of our own personalities by a spurious spirituality.”

Boys throwin’ heat out here. Pumped for the Merton ahead.

[Jola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an introduction or a preview to Merton's life and works. The excerpts of his writing are well-chosen and inspiring. After reading it, one is left wanting to read more.

[Shawn Enright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book at all! It’s much more Merton than Nouwen, which is more than fine with me — but I did want a little more analysis from Nouwen. At times I felt like I was just reading a collection of unrelated quotes from Merton’s various books.

My guess is that Nouwen wrote this book both to show his own influences and to introduce his audience to another great writer. I can imagine this book would be helpful to someone unread in the contemplative tradition.

Overall I just knew I wanted to get through this book so that I could start Seven Storey Mountain 😩

[Erika Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 and a half stars with the half star and rounding up because of the chapter on James Baldwin and Gandhi. I love Nouwen, but this book felt fragmented and didn’t have the depth of some of his others. I did love reading the anti-racism sections.

[Brian Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful read.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great material for reflection, a nice roadmap to Merton’s life and spiritual journey.

[Jennifer Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Jill Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of my Advent reading.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d only read a little by Nouwen before, and been fairly unmoved. I’d read no Merton. This book makes me think Merton is someone from whom I really need to learn.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nouwen on Merton: Does more need to be said to make this a best seller? Wonderful overview of the heart and development of Merton. Nouwen takes it step by step, allowing you to see how Merton grew in thought and spirituality. He also provides a good intro into many of Merton's books along the way that help reveal the development of Merton's life.

This is a book you don't want to put down. i found it to be personally devotional, instructive and inspiring for one's own life.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief overview of Merton's life and ideas mostly through quotes from his writings. A nice synopsis, from a variety of texts, including lesser known quotes about the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, and Merton's explorations of Eastern religions. Nouwen gets inside Merton's heart quite well for such a brief book, really.

[Mark Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of Merton, easier to read than Merton himself but still difficult (like Merton) to understand. Nouwen really didn't help me penetrate Merton's difficult concepts. And the book really doesn't shed light on Nouwen himself, as of course his other books do.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice synopsis of Merton. Explains the world events that shaped Merton's thinking.

[Jim Gero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nouwen meets Merton. It was a quick meeting over a can of beer, not that much to say about it. But Nouwen still has much to say about Merton, very profound.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep, soothing, down to earth