Matthew Kelty

from cover

My Song Is of Mercy is a collection of the writings of Matthew Kelty. Mostly sermons preached during the 70s, 80s, and 90s at the Abbey of Gethsemani, this volume also includes a revised edition of his popular Flute Solo. Readers who loved his reflections while living as a solitary in Papua New Guinea (Flute Solo) will heartily welcome this collection.

Covering a vast array of topics-from monastic architecture to the rising cost of a small cup of coffee at McDonald's-Fr. Matthew's words evoke a recognition of God's abundant mercy encompassing the life of each and every person. All who are interested in the spiritual life, the life of prayer, will find wisdom for the journey in these words of a monk who has listened long and lovingly to the beating of the heart of God.

Matthew Kelty, OCSO, has been a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, KY, since 1960. A novice of Thomas Merton's from 1960-62, Fr. Matthew is also author of Sermons in a Monastery (Cistercian Publications, 1983).

Michael Downey is Associate Professor of Theology at Bellarmine College in Louisville, KY, and editor of the award-winning The New Dictionary of Catholic Spiritually (LIturgical Press/Glazier, 1993).

Contents

Editor's Introduction
Note from the author
Part I Flute Solo
Flute Solo
Venture
Olive Garden
Piedmont Interlude
Solstitial Ring
Sea Route
Papua New Guina
One Way
The Monastic Influence
Psalmody
Teh Destroying Angel
The Virgin
The Company
Primal Water
Easter Sunrise
Part II Talks and Sermons
1 If I had my life to live over
2 Blessing fields
3 Dreams and visions and voices
4 Knock your socks off Christianity
5 The hiddne groukng of love
6 No poison this mercy
7 Of word and symbol
8 Saint Benedict's day
9 Funeral for Father Peter
10 Two men went up to the temple to pray
11 Expectations overturned
12 Week of prayer for Chiritian unity
13 Sts. Robert, Alberic, Stephen
14 Lazarus raised
15 On dom James
16 Peter's Confession
17 All souls
18 Houses and homes
19 Losers get prizes, too
20 L vierge enceinte
21 For Eric
22 Mother's day
23 The monastery sings a song
24 Sts. Peter and Paul
25 Feeding the multitude
26 Brother Charles' golden jubilee
27 The book of hours
28 The great day
29 Thanksgiving Day
30 Immaculate conception
31 Dreaming
32 Bad press, good news
33 Everything I have is yours
34 For Charlie
35 Grace
36 Abundant Mercy
37 Evil's return
38 Gratefulness
39 Immaculate conception B.V.M.
40 Elitist entitlement
41 Being n relation
42 Mockery
43 Ascension Thursday
44 About half my life
45 O angels and bears
46 A monk's view of ascetism
47 All hallows
48 Times
49 Premonition
50 The pansy sermon
51 In heaven, all will be Catholic
52 The sacred brought to speech
53 Priests and people
54 Veterans day
55 Christmas eve
56 Be not ashamed
57 Beatitude
58 Remembering the Monk Lavrans
59 Just one thing after another
60 John the Baptist
61 Chasms
62 Interdependence
63 Back in the saddle
64 Abbot Timothy
65 Annunciation
66 The 36th day
67 How we do need love
68 Nobody mentioned rosary
69 Christmas midnight mass
Endnotes
Epilogue
Vita… (mais)

Found this interesting partly because I have spoken with Fr. Matthew when on retreats at the Abbey of Gethsemani. I did appreciate the reflections he writes of the eremitic life as well as his childhood and sense of who he is in conjunction with vocation and in Christ. Also interesting (to me) was his mention that he had no strong sense of gender, for I have found that at a certain stage of the spiritual life, one does come to comprehend self as a genderless soul. I was surprised and pleased to unexpectedly spot this paperback on the parish 25-cent shelf, the day after I returned from a retreat in which I found out Fr. Matthew had written this book.… (mais)