“The most profound meaning in life is searching for God, and settling in God, and Merton made you think that was possible.”

Atkinson was talking during the recent retreat he presented at the monastery, “Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton,” the same title as his award-winning PBS documentary and book about Merton.

Merton (1915-1968), a Trappist monk from the Abbey of Gethsemane in Kentucky, was described by Atkinson as the “greatest spiritual writer in the U.S. in the 20th century.” Probably the most acclaimed of Merton’s 60-plus books is his 1948 autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain , which has sold over one million copies and been translated into 28 languages.

“His books will be read for centuries,” said Atkinson. “He could speak about the reality of God without sounding pious.”

Others at the retreat were drawn to Merton, too.

One woman said, “His writing really speaks to me. He speaks to us where we are, even though we’re in a myriad of places.”

Sister Kathryn Huber, who moderated the discussion, said, “Merton knew how to articulate the human struggle. Many of us can identify with that. And what a gift he gave us in his writing, in which he recognized his own humanity.”

Atkinson acknowledged that Merton had failings, that he “was wild” before entering the Abbey of Gethsemane in 1941. But those failings made him “more accessible” and were the seeds of him finding “something of worth spiritually.” Merton’s shift to a religious life, while remaining a bit of a rebel, but obedient, still fascinates people today.

Merton became a monk because he believed in prayer and that giving himself to God was the best path for him. He said, simply, “It’s time to stop being sick and to get really well.”

Above all, he was an ordinary guy, as human as could be, and he knew it. And he could write about his resulting serious search for God in a way that readers could easily soak in.

Among Atkinson’s favorite Merton quotes are “Settle down; it’ll happen,” and “The gate of Heaven is everywhere.”  Simple, yet profound.

And just a small indication of why something like the International Thomas Merton Society continues to thrive today. And why their tour buses continue to make the pilgrimage to Gethsemane. And why his appreciators continue accumulating more of his books, or have their pictures taken at the spots he frequented, or stand silently at the grave of a man they never met.

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Comments? Questions? I welcome your feedback, and ideas for stories on how the sisters touch lives. Contact Greg Eckerle at geckerle@thedome.org, or at 812-367-1411, ext. 2636.