Advent with Thomas Merton’s Thoughts in Solitude 2024
This reading schedule will help you progress through Thoughts in Solitude with purposeful reflection, connecting the themes of silence, peace, joy, and love to the Advent and Christmas seasons. Enjoy this journey of quiet contemplation during this special time.
We will gather for brief discussion each Sunday of December at 9:10 in the adult classroom, and for contemplative silence and prayer every Thursday at 6pm via zoom.
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Week 1: Dec 1 – Dec 7
Reading: Part 1, Chapters 1-6 (approx. 30 pages)
Theme: Hope and Waiting in Silence (Advent)
Reflection Questions:
1. How does solitude prepare us for receiving God's presence in our lives?
2. In what ways can we cultivate silence during this Advent season to deepen our awareness of God's voice?
3. How can we practice waiting with hope, much like the world awaited the birth of Christ?
Connection: Advent is a time of waiting and hope. In solitude, as Merton suggests, we learn to be with the noise and distractions and find some quiet to encounter God more fully, much like the waiting and anticipation of Christ’s birth.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.”
(Thomas Merton, “Contemplative Prayer”)
Bible Passage:
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
—Jeremiah 29:11
Prayer:
Lord, as we begin this Advent journey, help me to make choices that lead me toward the person
You have called me to be. May I grow in hope and trust in Your plans for my life.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants
something in his soul.”
(Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation”)
Bible Passage:
“But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.”
—Luke 8:15
Prayer:
Lord, may this Advent season plant seeds of Your Word deep in my heart. Help me to nurture them with patience and endurance, so they may bear fruit in my life.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.”
(Thomas Merton, “The New Man”)
Bible Passage:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
—John 15:12
Lord, help me to love without hesitation or judgment, just as You love me. May I extend Your love to all I meet this Advent season.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves.”
(Thomas Merton, “No Man Is an Island”)
Bible Passage:
“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” —1 Peter 4:8
Prayer:
Lord, give me the grace to love others as they are, not as I wish them to be. Teach me to embrace the people in my life with the same unconditional love You offer me.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The very contradictions in my life are in some way signs of God’s mercy to me.”
(Thomas Merton, “A Search for Solitude”)
Bible Passage:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
—2 Corinthians 12:9
Prayer:
Lord, I thank You for the ways You use even the contradictions and weaknesses in my life for Your glory. May Your mercy guide me as I prepare for Your coming.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.”
(Thomas Merton, “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander”)
Bible Passage:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
—Proverbs 3:5-6
Prayer:
Lord, in this Advent season, help me to trust in Your guidance, even when I do not see the full picture. Lead me with Your wisdom.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us.”
(Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”
Bible Passage:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:18
Prayer:
Lord, fill my heart with gratitude for all You have given me. May this Advent season be a time of recognizing Your abundant love in every moment.
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Week 2: Dec 8 – Dec 14
Reading: Part 1, Chapters 7-12 (approx. 30 pages)
Theme: Peace in the Wilderness
Reflection Questions:
1. What does Merton teach us about finding peace within ourselves, even when we feel alone or in a “wilderness” season?
2. How can we use the “wilderness” of solitude as a place to encounter God more deeply this Advent?
3. What parts of your life need more quiet and stillness to experience peace this season?
Connection: The wilderness is often a place of testing but also of profound encounters with God (think of John the Baptist or Israel in the desert). Advent invites us into a kind of inner wilderness, where peace can be found amidst silence, despite the difficulties of the wilderness.
Sometimes the wilderness is the very thing that drives us to seek true peace (as opposed to having everything going our way which is not the same as peace).
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Thomas Merton Quote: “What is serious to men is often very trivial in the sight of God.”
(Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation”
Bible Passage:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”
—Isaiah 55:8
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see life with Your eyes this Advent. Free me from being consumed by trivial concerns, and guide me to focus on what truly matters—Your love and Your kingdom.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “In silence, God ceases to be an object and becomes an experience.”
(Thomas Merton, “The Sign of Jonas”
Bible Passage:
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
—Psalm 46:10
Prayer:
Lord, draw me into the quiet of Advent. Help me to encounter You in the silence, where You become more than an idea but a living presence in my life.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer.”
(Thomas Merton, “No Man Is an Island”)
Bible Passage:
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
—Matthew 16:24
Prayer:
Lord, give me the strength to accept the trials in my life, trusting that through them, You bring transformation. May I follow You faithfully, even in suffering.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved.”
(Thomas Merton, “No Man Is an Island”)
Bible Passage:
“Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”
—1 John 3:18
Prayer:
Lord, teach me to love as You love—with a heart that seeks the good of others. Let my actions this Advent reflect the depth of my love for You and for my neighbor.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “True prayer must avoid the temptation of too much self-reflection.”
(Thomas Merton, “Contemplative Prayer”)
Bible Passage:
“But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
—Matthew 6:6
Prayer:
Lord, in this season of Advent, help me to turn my prayer outward toward You, rather than focusing only on myself. May I seek Your presence above all.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The truth that many people never understand until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer.”
(Thomas Merton, “No Man Is an Island”)
Bible Passage:
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.”
—Psalm 34:18
Prayer:
Lord, when I face suffering, remind me that You are near. Help me to turn toward You rather than away, and find comfort in Your loving presence.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves.”
(Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation”)
Bible Passage:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
—John 14:27
Prayer:
Lord, help me to find peace within myself through Your presence, so that I may be an instrument of Your peace to others during this Advent season.
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Week 3: Dec 15 – Dec 21
Reading: Part 2, Chapters 1-6 (approx. 30 pages)
Theme: Joy in Simplicity
Reflection Questions:
1. What does Merton say about the importance of simplicity in solitude, and how can we apply that to our Advent journey?
2. How does simplicity bring us closer to joy? What unnecessary burdens can you let go of this season?
3. How can we make room in our hearts for the simple, yet profound joy of Christ’s coming?
Connection: Advent is a time of simplifying and preparing. Just as Mary and Joseph found simplicity in the stable, we can find joy in letting go of materialism and focusing on the spiritual gifts of the season. How can you embrace connecting, enjoying simple moments, being present?
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Thomas Merton Quote: “To be a saint means to be myself.”
(Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation”)
Bible Passage:
“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”
—Leviticus 19:2
Prayer:
Lord, guide me to be the person You have created me to be. Let my holiness come from authenticity, as I seek to reflect Your image in my life.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The greatest need of our time is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish.”
(Thomas Merton, “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander”
Bible Passage:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”
—Romans 12:2
Prayer:
Lord, cleanse my mind of the distractions and clutter that prevent me from focusing on You. Renew me this Advent, so I may live according to Your will.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present.”
(Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”)
Bible Passage:
“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”
—Exodus 14:14
Prayer:
Lord, help me to embrace the solitude of this Advent season, that I may deepen my awareness of Your presence here and now.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”
(Thomas Merton, “Love and Living”)
Bible Passage:
“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”
—Ephesians 2:10
Prayer:
Lord, help me to find peace not in changing my circumstances, but in discovering who I am in You. May Your peace dwell deeply within me.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The spiritual life is first of all a life. It is not merely something to be known and studied, it is to be lived.”
(Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”)
Bible Passage:
“Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
—James 1:22
Prayer:
Lord, help me to live out my faith in action this Advent. May I be a doer of Your word, reflecting Your love in all that I do.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.”
(Thomas Merton, “No Man Is an Island”)
Bible Passage:
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
—Ecclesiastes 3:1
Prayer:
Lord, grant me balance in my life during this Advent season. Help me to live in harmony with Your will and find joy in Your rhythm.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The light of Christ is offered to us in the human person, in human love.”
(Thomas Merton, “Love and Living”
Bible Passage:
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.”
—Matthew 5:14
Prayer:
Lord, may I reflect Your light in the love I offer to others this Advent. Help me to be a beacon of Your love in a world longing for Your presence.
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Week 4: Dec 22 – Dec 25
Reading: Part 2, Chapters 7-12 (approx. 30 pages)
Theme: Love Made Manifest
Reflection Questions:
1. How does Merton connect solitude with love and service to others? How can we mirror this as we prepare for Christmas?
2. What does it mean to “love in solitude”? How can you practice loving more fully during this Christmas season?
3. How does the birth of Christ, God made manifest, reflect the love we are called to share from our solitude with others?
Connection: The incarnation is the ultimate manifestation of God’s love. As Merton discusses solitude, he often emphasizes that it is not for isolation, but for deepening love. The joy of
Christmas is the arrival of God’s love made real and present in the world.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone.”
(Thomas Merton, “No Man Is an Island”)
Bible Passage:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
—Galatians 6:2
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the community of faith that walks this journey with me. Help me to support and love others as we prepare together for Your coming.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Our real journey in life is interior: it is a matter of growth, deepening, and of an ever greater surrender.”
(Thomas Merton, “The Road to Joy”)
Bible Passage:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”
—Psalm 51:10
Prayer:
Lord, as this Advent season draws to a close, help me to surrender more fully to Your will. Create in me a heart ready to receive You.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “The Advent mystery is the beginning of the end of all in us that is not yet Christ.”
(Thomas Merton, “Seasons of Celebration”)
Bible Passage:
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”
—John 1:9
Prayer:
Lord, as we prepare to celebrate Your birth, transform all that is not yet of You within me. Let Your light shine in my heart, that I may be more like Christ.
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Thomas Merton Quote: “Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited.”
(Thomas Merton, “Raids on the Unspeakable”)
Bible Passage:
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
—John 1:14
Prayer:
Lord, on this day of Your birth, I welcome You into my heart and life. Though the world may not make room, I open myself to Your love, grace, and truth. Amen.