Published after Thomas Merton's death, The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation, ed. William H. Shannon (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003) is one of his most exciting and exacting set of reflections on contemplative living. Here is a typical passage:

The life of contemplation in action and purity of heart is, then, a life of great simplicity and inner liberty. One is not seeking anything special or demanding any particular satisfaction. One is content with what is. One does what is to be done, and the more concrete it is, the better. One is not worried about the results of what is done. One is content to have good motives and not be too anxious about making mistakes. In this way one can swim with the living stream of life and remain at every moment in contact with God, in the hiddenness and ordinariness of the present moment with its obvious task. (66)

It was with Merton's spirit that this afternoon I replaced the battery of the lawnmower, fixed one of its flat tires, and mowed a good bit of the yard. And I'm asking God that with Merton's kind of spirit I will go to Immanuel Baptist Church tonight to participate in a "Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct-Action" (BUILD) meeting, a city-wide ecumenical gathering anticipating over 1500 people gathered to meet with the mayor to require affordable housing for the city's poor.

By the way, the deacon at the Eucharist yesterday, after the pastor's final blessing, said: "Let us go in peace" and then added "and serve the poor." Great reminder! With a hearty response, the parishioners all cried out, "Thanks be to God!" Very Merton-ish!