The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton

"We are living in a newly emerging Franciscan age as history gyres toward the magnetic spirit of the gentle, ferocious 'Poor Man.' All creation and all the impoverished are groaning to summon him to awaken us to the kinship of all beings, and begin—if we might—to set the world aright. Little wonder that Thomas Merton’s prophetic soul bore the vestiges of his original inspiration, whose mystic heart left its marks on Merton’s own. In true Franciscan voice, Daniel Horan offers us a glimpse of the rich and many ways Fr. Francis was the first and lasting teacher of his Cistercian son."

"Combining scholarly insight with pastoral sensitivity, Daniel Horan, shows in rich and fascinating detail why Francis of Assisi remained Thomas Merton’s favorite saint and how the Franciscan intellectual and spiritual tradition continued to have a profound impact on Merton’s thought even as a Cistercian, from Christology to ecology, from peacemaking to dialogue with other religious traditions. This is an accessible and absorbing exploration of a significant influence on Merton’s life and thought, particularly welcome in this new 'Age of Francis.'"

"Horan’s book is a thorough and eloquent, yet personal and highly engaging, exploration of Merton’s multilayered, multifaceted engagement with St. Francis and the Franciscan tradition."

"How could I not be elated? Two of my favorite human beings running side by side through one fine book: Francis and Merton! Just the chapters on Duns Scotus, 'paradise consciousness,' or peacemaking and prophecy, would make the book well worth the read! What a treasure we have in young and insightful Daniel Horan!"