Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew

by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis

To the unstudied eye, St. Matthew\x27s Gospel can seem a terse narrative, almost a historical document and not the tremendously spiritual (and doctrinal) storehouse that it is. In his fourth and final volume of meditations on Matthew (chapters 26\x26ndash;28), Father Simeon, formerly Erasmo Leiva\-Merikakis, continues to show Matthew\x27s prose to be not so much terse as economical\x26mdash;astoundingly so given its depth. The lay reader can derive great profit from reading this book. Each short meditation comments on a verse or two, pointing to some facet of the text not immediately apparent, but rich with meaning.\n Father Simeon\x27s work is scholarly but eminently approachable by the lay reader. The tone is very much of \x26#34;taste and see how good the Lord is\x26#34; and an invitation of \x26#34;friend, come up higher!\x26#34; The goal of the book is to help the reader experience the heat of the divine Heart and the light of the divine Word. The author addresses both the objective and subjective levels of the Word of God\x26mdash;both what it is in itself and what impact it ought to have in our lives.\n Father Simeon comments on the Greek text, demonstrating nuances in the text that defy translation. He uses numerous quotes from the Fathers and the Liturgy of the Church to demonstrate the way the Tradition has lived and read the Word of God. His theological reflection vivifies doctrine by seeking its roots in the words and actions of Jesus. He shows that ultimately the text of the Gospel serves only one to make possible a living encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, an encounter that is wholly life transforming. Every effort, therefore, has been made throughout the commentary to show how the presence of Christ in the world has changed the very nature of both history and human experience.

700 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2021

About the author

Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (now Fr. Simeon, OCSO) is a Trappist monk and accomplished author, preacher, and retreat master.

He received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Theology from Emory University.. His areas of interest include liturgy and liturgical texts, Georg Trakl's poetry, the Gospel of Matthew, French and German poetry of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Greek and Roman classics, and Dante.

Father Simeon entered the St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, MA in April of 2003 and was ordained to the priesthood in May of 2013. He is currently serving as secretary to the Abbot General in Rome. He continues as editor of the Monastic Wisdom Series for Cistercian Publications. When at his monastery in Spencer he leads retreats in the Abbey Retreat House, pitches in as community cook and does his part in the regular round of chores. Father Simeon tells us that he treasures: “the rhythm of the common life that draws me back to essentials even when I am most distracted or concerned with more relative things.”

He has also translated numerous works for Ignatius Press, including several books by Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Reviews

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fr. Simeon's (Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis) four volume meditation on the Gospel of St. Matthew is a stunning achievement! To my knowledge, there is nothing quite like it in print. So much more than a commentary in the conventional sense, this work captures the life of Christ and his good news with such greater power and authenticity. This is, in my mind, for three major reasons: the linguistic and literary proficiency of the author; the theological and biblical proficiency of the author; the monastic and contemplative perspective of the author. This is a work of a great mind and a great heart and the achievement of a lifetime of prayer and reflection. Your typical Gospel commentary will leave you with a greater knowledge about the life and times of Jesus. Fr. Simeon's meditations leave you with a felt sense of his heart and mind. I read most of this final volume during Holy Week. I can't imagine a better companion for the journey. It has utterly enriched my celebration of this week's liturgies and given me perhaps my most meaningful Easter. Fr. Simeon makes a couple of questionable and somewhat unfortunate eisegetic choices (on Judas and the complementary of the sexes at the resurrection scene), but I was often left stunned by the beauty of his insights and on his manner of expression. Thank you, Fr. Simeon, for the hours spent in prayer and before your computer on this magnificent gift!