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Icons by Br. Robert Lentz, ofm.
Influenced by his Russian Orthodox background and a period of study with a master iconographer, Lentz's unique style blends classical Eastern iconography with contemporary elements and "witnesses."
Dimensions: 10.75" x 8.5"
Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Thomas Merton wrote prophetically from his seclusion as a Trappist monk for over 25 years. He spoke on subjects as varied as prayer, racial relations, non-violence, and art. While never ceasing to be a Christian, he was entirely at home in Asian experience. He practiced Zen because he felt it enabled Western people to go beyond their tendency to analyze God, to reduce God to "object":
"This obsession with doctrinal formulas, juridical order, and ritual exactitude," he wrote, "has often made people forget that the heart of Catholicism, too, is a living experience of unity in Christ which far transcends all conceptual formulations."
Both Buddhist and Christian symbolism are combined in this icon, to express the way Merton reconciled the two spiritual traditions in his own life. His raised right hand represents "fear not," and his left calls upon the earth to bear witness that he has overcome temptation. The Greek inscription by his head reads "Holy Thomas." He wears the Cistercian cowl.
© Robert Lentz, 1985 |
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