Rising Up out of the Centre: Thomas Merton on Prayer and Contemplation course
The first talk will address the interior life of prayer which Merton called “a consciousness of one’s union with God” and focus on Merton’s 1966 letter to Abdul Aziz, the only time he spoke of his own prayer practice and his letters to Etta Gullick (who worked with Ordinands at St Stephen’s in Oxford).The second talk will address living the contemplative life of prayer in the world.
There will be 2 hand outs for each talk: an outline of the talk and some texts from Merton to contemplate in the quiet time provided after the talks. The day with close with Q & A and reflection thereon.
Bonnie Thurston, a native of southern West Virginia, currently lives quietly near Wheeling, WV. She earned the B.A. in English (First Honors) from Bethany College, and the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia. The subject of her dissertation was Thomas Merton’s poetry and inter-religious thought. She has done post-doctoral work in New Testament at Harvard Divinity School; Eberhard Karls University in Tuebingen, Germany; and the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem.
Bonnie has written or edited 24 theological books and many articles, has contributed to reference works in New Testament and taught at the university level for 30 years including Bethany College, Wheeling Jesuit University and Pittsburgh Seminary. Her scholarly interests in New Testament include the gospels of Mark and John, the Deutero-Pauline canon and, more generally, the history of Christian Spirituality and prayer. Her church affiliations include the Episcopal Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She was ordained in 1984 and has served as co-pastor, pastor, or interim of five churches and twice in overseas ministries. She is a spiritual director and experienced retreat leader. Her poetry frequently appears in religious periodicals, and she has authored eight collections of verse, two chapbooks of which have won prizes. Bonnie is a widow, an avid reader, gardener and cook, enjoys classical music (especially the opera and liturgical music) and loves the West Virginia hills.
