The Book’s Teacher and Student

Longing

This thread follows the author’s personal relationship to the mystics, from formative mentorship to the hope that readers will continue their search.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Seminary Visit A Seminary Visit from "Longing". A Seminary Visit An unfamiliar world A Protestant seminary student visits Gethsemani and is moved by the monks’ chanting, silence, and hospitality.

A Seminary Visit from "Longing". A Seminary Visit An unfamiliar world A Protestant seminary student visits Gethsemani and is moved by the monks’ chanting, silence, and hospitality.

A Seminary Visit An unfamiliar world A Protestant seminary student visits Gethsemani and is moved by the monks’ chanting, silence, and hospitality. The experience reveals a neglected dimension of Christian life. A question left open The visit prompts him to wonder what the monks understand about prayer that he has missed.

Meeting Merton Meeting Merton from "Longing". Meeting Merton Conversation across experience The student meets Thomas Merton, who answers questions with patience and good humor.

Meeting Merton from "Longing". Meeting Merton Conversation across experience The student meets Thomas Merton, who answers questions with patience and good humor.

Meeting Merton Conversation across experience The student meets Thomas Merton, who answers questions with patience and good humor. At the time, the student does not know the full reach of Merton’s influence. A memory that ripens Later study turns these encounters into part of a lifelong spiritual education.

An Independent Study An Independent Study from "Longing". An Independent Study A teacher opens a field D. Bard Thompson arranges an independent study in Christian spirituality.

An Independent Study from "Longing". An Independent Study A teacher opens a field D. Bard Thompson arranges an independent study in Christian spirituality.

An Independent Study A teacher opens a field D. Bard Thompson arranges an independent study in Christian spirituality. The reading introduces the author to mystics whose writing becomes a lasting guide. Scholarship as formation Academic study develops into a personal practice of reflection and spiritual inquiry.

Activism and Contemplation Activism and Contemplation from "Longing". Activism and Contemplation An enduring concern for justice The author remains committed to social action while deepening his interest in prayer and mysticism.

Activism and Contemplation from "Longing". Activism and Contemplation An enduring concern for justice The author remains committed to social action while deepening his interest in prayer and mysticism.

Activism and Contemplation An enduring concern for justice The author remains committed to social action while deepening his interest in prayer and mysticism. He studies writers who bring inward life and public service together. A widened vocation His work develops into an effort to show how contemplation can sustain action.

A Resource for Readers A Resource for Readers from "Longing". A Resource for Readers Guidance rather than mastery The author does not claim to have become a mystic himself.

A Resource for Readers from "Longing". A Resource for Readers Guidance rather than mastery The author does not claim to have become a mystic himself.

A Resource for Readers Guidance rather than mastery The author does not claim to have become a mystic himself. He presents the lives and writings he has studied as sources of encouragement and instruction. An invitation onward The book ends by offering readers a practical, patient way to pursue their own longing for God.

In the late 1950s

During two visits to Gethsemani

After seminary coursework

Across the author’s later career

At the book’s closing