Deadhead - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 4

Deadhead

The Groundskeeper Book 4

Cedar Sanderson

Sanderley Studios.

ASIN B0CM453FGK

I first encountered the works of Cedar in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, and after reading her piece there knew I had to track down and read something else from her pen. The first story in this series was that next piece and I have been working through all of Sanderson’s works since then. In that first book Sanderson states:

“This book is dedicated to the Junior Mad Scientist, my pastel goth. May you find your happy place, dear heart.”

Written and dedicated to her own daughter the story is spun off from a chance real life event. The dedication in this volume states:

“For Alma and Dorothy, the elder Goths in my life.”

And we might just encounter a few of them in this wonderful story. The story is well written. It was a humorous read with a dark twist. The book and whole series really grabs your attention and keeps you hooked. I picked up the book as soon as it released and read it in a couple of sittings over a day. The description of this offering is:

“Chloe's grown to love her job as caretaker and groundskeeper in the big cemetery. Belleview continues to surprise her and keep her life interesting, and Mr. Cruor is about to make her an offer she can't refuse. Her comfortable life is turned on end, and she's trying to keep up with everything, while wondering how she can cope with the new demands on her. Chloe is very afraid that what's coming will be more than she, or her friends, can handle...”

The story follows Chloe as she transitions into a new role at Belleview Cemetery, a role that is much more series and has further reaching consequences. She has known for a while that life at Belleview was different, and she took it all in stride. No she is being offered a vocation, a vocation of the work of mercy of burying the dead, and in this case helping them to transition if needed. The description of book one stated:

“The ghouls, wraiths, and ghosties had not been part of the job description. Or maybe they had, just not in so many words. The neatly printed sign next to the ornate gates had simply read: “Cemetery groundskeeper and caretaker needed. Inquire within.””

In this volume Mr. Cruor reveals some information about his past. Chloe’s relationships with Della and Trunk are blooming. And she is introduced to several other people from Cruor’s circle who are involved in their important work. But a lot happens in this small volume. Chloe is building a team to take over some of the caretaking work so she can take on other duties. 

I have greatly enjoyed everything I have read from Sanderson's pen. But this series is among my favourites. This is a masterfully written story. Great characters both alive and dead. A read and yet with a very serious edge. I love this book and series, I want to know what else happens to Chloe and the residents we have encountered and those we have yet to meet at Belleview Cemetery and beyond. This series is really shaping up. Each time a new story comes out I end up going back and rereading them all. I can easily recommend this book and series. A most excellent read!

Books by Cedar Sanderson:

Lab Gremlins

Warp Resonance

The Dwarf's Dryad

One-Eyed Dragon

Memories of the Abyss

Little Red-Hood and the Wolf-man

The Violet Mouse

Stargazer

The Eternity Symbiote

Plant Life

Sugar Skull

Snow Angel

Inktail & Friends: A Coloring Book

The Twisted Breath of God

Voyageur's Cap

Fairy Little Sister

Milkweed

Mindflow

The East Witch

The Case of the Perambulating Hatrack 

Crow Moon

Zombie Maggots

Poor Gregory

…

The Groundskeeper Series:

Raking Up the Dead

The Hoodoo That You Do

My Ghoul

Deadhead

Have A Dead Night 

...

Pixie for Hire Series:

Pixie Noir

Trickster Noir 

Dragon Noir

…

Pixie for Hire: Omnibus Edition

Children of Myth Series:

Vulcan's Kittens 

The God’s Wolfling

…

The Tanager Series:

Jade Star

Tanager's Fledglings 

…

Witchward Series:

Snow in Her Eyes

Possum Creek Massacre

Child of Crows Wings of Broken Magic 

… 

Illustrated by Cedar:

Something Wicked #15

Jormungandr's Venom (Fenris Unchained Book 3)

Hunted Behavior

A Time To Die

Legion

…

Contributed to:

The Hearts' Enchantment

Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories

Calexit- The Anthology

Supernatural Streets

Something Wicked Anthology, Vol One

Something Wicked #15

Mythic Delirium Magazine Issue 0.4

Ghosts of Malta

The Haunted Library Anthology: Volume 1 

But Not Broken - Hope and Healing Book 2

Postcards From Mars - Postcard Stories Book 1

Space Cowboys - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 4

Space Cowboys 2: Electric Rodeo - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 5

Twisted Tropes

Steam-Powered Postcards - Postcard Stories Book 2

Space Marines - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 6

Fanta-Fly Postcards: A Micro-Fiction Collection

Postcards from Foolz: A Micro-Fiction Collection

Falcons of Malta

Space Marines 2 - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 9

Single Servings of Liberty - Postcard Stories Book 5

Tales From The Occupation: A Fae Wars Book 4

…

Books as Lilania Begley:

Slice of Pie

...

Sumire Series:

Djinn A Short Story

Dust Storm

Distress Signal

...

Bluehills Series:

Farmhand

Farmwife

Star Bright

...

Contributed to as Lilania Begley:

He Was Dead When I got There

...

Friends of Jesus A Lenten Meditation - Fr Philip Caldwell - CTS Books

Friends of Jesus:

A Lenten Meditation

Fr Philip Caldwell

Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781784698355

eISBN 9781784697242

ASIN B0F1DYKWMC

CTS Booklet D851

As of the reading this I have read over 440 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society over the last 7 years, many of them more than once. This is a great volume for Lent, of that could be worked through at any point in the year. It is a great little volume.

The description of this volume states:

“In this Lenten retreat, Fr Philip Caldwell guides readers through five weeks (or days) of Gospel reflections, introducing both major and minor figures from Scripture, which helps us to deepen our understanding, friendship, and love for Christ.

Lent is a season in which we deepen our friendship with Christ. In this five-week retreat, Fr Philip Caldwell invites us to contemplate friends of Jesus from the Gospels – some well-known like His Mother, Mary and the Beloved Disciple, others often overlooked like Nicodemus and Zacchaeus – in order to come to know Him more clearly and love Him more dearly ourselves.

Through biblical meditations, reflective questions, and suggested Scripture passages, this book provides a structured yet flexible guide for personal devotion or group study. Rooted in prayerful contemplation, Friends of Jesus encourages us to discover a Friend who invites us to His table to drink His wine, who washes our feet, lies peacefully next to us, is with us in fear and darkness, dies forgiving us and rises to say He will be with us always.”

The chapters in this volume are:

Preface

A Lenten Journey of Friendship with Jesus Christ

Daily Meditation Guide

Week One: Three Lenten Women of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving

Week Two: Three Friends Who Come by Night – Judas, Nicodemus, and the Magdalene

Week Three: What Jesus Sees in His Friends – Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Week Four: Friendships Forged in Forgiveness – Zacchaeus and Peter

Week Five: Special Friends of the Lord – His Beloved Disciple and His Mother, Mary

From the preface we are informed:

“This little booklet has been put together as a five-week retreat for Lent. Comprising a combination of biblical meditations, passages for prayerful reflection, and questions to stimulate consideration or discussion, it was first delivered to the Sisters of Mercy in Sunderland, as a preached retreat. Now, it has been shaped to help lead you on a spiritual journey through this season according to a particular theme. It might be used individually or in a group. Each section begins with a longer meditation which could be read at the weekend, when perhaps you have more time, and returned to for prayerful reflection during the week, when perhaps you have less. Using the Daily Meditation Guide, choose some points from the opening reflection and one of the scriptural passages referenced. Some questions will also be given to stimulate your consideration or discussion. The pattern for each of the five weeks is the same – offering, I hope enough structure for you to develop a rhythm, but loose enough for you to adapt in a way that suits you best. The booklet can be used in conjunction with some podcasts, and the artwork it contains is also meant as stimulus to prayer. I hope you’ll find it user-friendly, and through it come to a deeper knowledge of your faith and to an experience of the friendship of Jesus.”

I found the loose nature of the structure a little difficult for me. I would have preferred some more details or a clear reference for going back to specific sections for each day during the week after reading the whole reflection. But even with that I greatly enjoyed the volume and benefited from it.

“This little booklet has been put together as a five-week retreat for Lent. Comprising a combination of biblical meditations, passages for prayerful reflection, and questions to stimulate consideration or discussion, it was first delivered to the Sisters of Mercy in Sunderland, as a preached retreat.”

“Each section begins with a longer meditation which could be read at the weekend, when perhaps you have more time, and returned to for prayerful reflection during the week, when perhaps you have less.”

“I’m sure everyone wants the same thing from this blessed time of Lent–to come closer to Jesus, to be one with Him as He lives out the days of His Passion in the loving gaze of His Father.”

“When he began his pontificate, Benedict XVI said some beautiful words: If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful, and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation.”

“You must be born again. When it comes down to it, there must be a personal inner choice for the Spirit and against the flesh. Either we choose the security of wealth, power, prestige, whatever, or the freedom of the Spirit, who cannot be controlled but who blows where He will.”

“If each of us says ‘yes’ to that Spirit, our lives will testify to what we have seen and, even though that might only mean a smile or a kind word, people will accept our testimony and believe.”

“Cardinal Martini tells us that we should never cease to marvel at this–that the solemn event of Resurrection, the turning point of the whole of history, is conveyed in the simple and intimate conversation of two friends, a conversation which is built around such common human experiences as tears and weeping. But there is a reason why the news of Resurrection comes to us in this way–the revelation is so personal, so particular to each one of us, that hearing it makes us suddenly aware of who we are in the sight of God.”

“We too, if we listen, can hear the Lord call our name, and we can leave our past and all its hurt and embrace the light which He has made eternal. Jesus, through His friend Mary Magdalene, has shown us that we are all reconciled.”

“We should have started with Lazarus first, because now it seems to me that knowing Jesus has chosen you as a friend–for reasons known only to His heart and not to anyone else–should give you enormous confidence.”

“If you would like to contemplate these characters today, think of each of them as you, but though it might be a funny thing to say, imagine yourself as Lazarus. Imagine your surprise and delight that this most popular Wonder Worker has chosen you, comes to your house and enjoys your company. Try to be convinced, today, of the absolute choice God has made for you in Christ. He came to be your Friend as if you were the only person in the world, and, in these days, He will prove it to you.”

“The anger of God is something manufactured on our side. It results from our movements, not from God’s. God, in fact, is constant, unchanging love–like the surface of the mirror, God does not move.”

“In it, we see Peter’s very self, and his whole world, collapse. His identity, origin, relationships are gone without Jesus, he is without every meaningful compass point in life. All he had put his hopes on is gone.”

“We’re each of us special in God’s eyes, loved differently and uniquely. We are favoured and, in a sense, ‘favourites’, beloved disciples.”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. This is an excellent little volume. The recommended daily practice is:

“DAILY MEDITATION GUIDE

Suggested time for prayer: thirty minutes

Preparation

1 Choose one of the scriptural passages from the week’s reflection.

2 Read the scriptural text through a couple of times, slowly.

Prayer

1 Imagine yourself on your way to meet a friend – briefly rehearse the meeting.

2 Pray to the Holy Spirit to enable you to enter the passage and encounter the Word.

3 What is God saying to you today?

4 What do you desire from your encounter?

Passage

1 What do you notice most in this passage?

2 To whom do you feel drawn in this story?

3 What speaks to you most here?

Praise

1 Take some time to thank God for your friendship with Jesus and to note what you have experienced today.”

The methodology introduced in this volume is excellent. Once you use it for a few weeks, you can apply it to many biblical passages. Or pick a passage from the daily mass readings and use this reflective method. 

This is a great little resource from the Catholic Truth Society it is wonderful to work through over Lent, or you could work through it any time of the church year. And it will give you tools you can use on an ongoing basis. I can easily recommend this booklet.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews:  2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

Books by Father Philip Caldwell:

Friends of Jesus A Lenten Meditation 

A Journey to the Crib: An Advent and Christmas Devotional 

Liturgy as Revelation: Re-Sourcing a Theme in Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology

…

Los Lagos Heat - Karina Fabian - A DragonEye, PI Story

Los Lagos Heat

A DragonEye, PI Story

Karina Fabian

Laser Cow Press

ASIN B0F5THHJJ4

This is the 42 book or story I have read by Karina Fabian. I love her style, her sense of humour, and the variety of stories she writes. This is a standalone piece set in the DragonEye PI series, a short story. I picked this up and devoured it the day I found out about it. I read it over a mug of tea. I have encountered Vern previously in anthologies and in other novels, I believe I have read all that has been published and look forward to some second editions of the first few stories later this year. This new story was a fairly sombre, but well worth the read. 

For those who are not familiar with the DragonEye PI series, Vern is a Faerie dragon currently stuck on our side of the barrier. He is a Private Investigator he fights crimes both human and Fairy. And he is working off a debt and works for the Faerie Catholic Church. He is nowhere near the dragon he was, in size or power because of a run in with Saint George. The description of this volume is:

“Vern is hired to find a missing dryad, Lea—a thrill seeker who’d rather experience slow death exploring the mysteries of the Mundane world than endure a long and secure life with a demigod. Vern’s investigation reveals a web of prostitution, fraud, betrayal—and murder. But was Lea victim or instigator, and what does it have to do with an injured wood nymph and a politician’s son?”

The story begins with a quote from our very own Vern:

“Some kisses, like some adventures, come at too high a price.” 

This story just felt different. And from the acknowledgements we know why. Very is not even pushing to torment Vialpando as hard as he normally would. The Pi case is nagging at Vern and it truly appears to be one he wishes to solve. But not all cases solve with a good ending. But Vern does try to make help right a different wrong after solving this case.

The acknowledgements state:

“Every now and then, Vern doesn’t want to do funny. He just wants to go full-on noir. This was one of those times, and I’m so grateful to the Vern fans (or Vernnerds as some call themselves) for being willing to enjoy his dark side as well as his funny one. Thanks to the CWG SFF Crit group for giving this a polish, especially Suzanna Linton who caught a logical flaw in Vern’s investigative technique.

Special thanks goes to Lyndon Perry, who published this story in Residential Aliens in November 2023. Lynn and I have been writing friends for a long time. I’m so glad he reached out to ask if I had a story for him.”

It is another great story in the Vern Verse and excellent offering from the Fabian Space. As mentioned very different than many of the others. A great little read. It is excellent for fans of the series, or someone wanting a sampling. A great short story I can easily recommend.  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Karina Fabian:

Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life
Frightliner

Worlds of FabianSpace A Story Sampler

Jovian Heat

They Also Serve

42 Years of Summer

Marathon to Mordor

...

Rescue Sisters Series:

Discovery

Antivenom 

Moonboy

These Three

Our Daily Bread

Falling Up

Wolf of Mars

Calling on a Bad Day

...

Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:

DragonEye PI Novels:

1.0 Murder Most Picante

2.0 If Wishes Were Dragons

2.5 Thanks for the Mummyries

3.0 Nun of My Business

4.0 Christmas Spirits

5.0 Greater Treasures

6.0 Siren Spell

7.0 Good Intentions

8.0 Idol Speculations

9.0 Gapman

10.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition)

11.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition forthcoming)

... 

DragonEye PI Short Stories:

Of Slings and Feeling Vexed

A Winkle in Time

Perfect Ten

Los Lagos Heat

Ted Talk

...

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem 

Live and Let Fly

Greater Treasures

...

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 4

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 5

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 6

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 7

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 8 

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 9 

...

Space Traipse Stories

Doall's Do-Over

…

Madness of Kanaan Series:

(formerly The Mind Over Series)

Madness Bound

Madness Unbound

Madness of Worlds

Madness of Love

…

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...

Nonfiction with Deacon Steven Lumbert:

Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life

There You Are, God! Finding God in the Everyday

...

Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity

Cracked An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories

Overmorrow Stories for our Bright Future

Pilgrim Tales An anthology of fiction by the Catholic Writers Guild 

...

Author Profile and Interview With Karina Fabian

May Day - Fiorella De Maria - Father Gabriel Mysteries Book 6

May Day!

Father Gabriel Mysteries Book 6

Fiorella De Maria
Ignatius Press
ISBN 9781621647676

eISBN 9781642293388

ASIN B0F47BKFK5

Wow! What an excellent mystery, but I am getting ahead of myself. This was the twentieth book by Fiorella de Maria that I have read. I stumbled upon her works a few years ago and I read nine of them in as many weeks. And now eagerly await each new offering from her masterful pen. I was greatly looking forward to this sixth instalment in the Father Gabriel Mystery series. But alas it released during a very busy period at work and I had to wait to dig into it. I ended up reading most of it on a trip out of town to be a confirmation sponsor, with 4 hours in the car each way. I have tracked down and read everything by her under the name Fiorella de Maria. I did not even read the description of the book prior to picking it up. I know that if Fiorella wrote it, it would be worth reading. It was a great story.

The description of this book states:

“Spring has come to the abbey, and the community is busily preparing for the May Day weekend and the arrival of Boy Scouts who will hold their annual camp on the abbey grounds. When a Boy Scout named Antoine is sent home in disgrace, Fr Gabriel accompanies him to his house, which has become the scene of a violent crime. Antoine's father, Charles, has been found dead, apparently killed during a botched burglary.

Suspecting there was more to the crime than what first meets the eye, Fr Gabriel joins forces with Inspector Applegate to learn about Charles Nicholson, a quiet family man with no obvious enemies. The victim, however, had been married to a fiery French resistance fighter, a union that had caused considerable excitement in the sleepy village.

It doesn't take long for Gabriel to notice that Brigitte Nicholson's life - and courageous death in wartime France - has had a dramatic effect upon her surviving family. Gabriel's quest for the truth leads him into the brutal world of Nazi-occupied France, where resistance fighters like Brigitte were betrayed by their most trusted friends. Could Brigitte's betrayer and Charles' killer be one and the same person? And could the shadowy figure menacing Gabriel be the murderer he is trying to hunt down?

This sixth installment of the Father Gabriel series explores the murky world of wartime treason, profiteering, and betrayal. The story also involves the return of some characters from earlier in the series.”

In many of de Maria’s work she deals with moral topics. She has an uncanny ability to write in such a way that the reader is drawn in and feels part of the story. We find ourselves reflecting on the moral questions at hand. She does so without preaching, but really making readers think. In the last story we learned some more about Father Gabriel’s background. From the beginning we know this story will involve a child or children; from the setup of the Scouts camping on the Abbey grounds; and Father Gabriel’s interactions with the Scout Master and at least one of the boys. By the time we find out about the murder, we are well acquainted with the young lad in question. For father Gabriel having had 3 encounters with him by that point. But soon the case is taking many twists and turns. A family with estranged siblings, something off about the grandfather, and the many references to Brigitte Nicholson’s life; and her courageous death in wartime France. Father Gabriel cannot help but conclude that the woman’s death at the hands of the Nazi’s and her husband’s murder are somehow linked. But can he piece it together, for the sake of the young lad, Antoine. But not everyone like Father Gabriel trying to get to the truth. Some are rude, some are deceptive, and he faces great threats to his wellbeing including needing medical attention on separate occasions. As the story builds we realize the danger is far from over. Will Gabriel put the pieces together in time to prevent more deaths? To find out you will need to read this excellent mystery.    

As with the five previous novels, it was great to watch Father Gabriel put the pieces together. In this he knew early on he was missing key pieces of information, but it takes a while and some serious injuries for him to start piecing it all together. 

I have really enjoyed everything I have read from de Maria’s masterful pen. Fiorella is one of my favourite contemporary authors, and one of my all-time favourite Catholic authors. I still hold out hope that Ignatius will put back into print de Maria’s first two novels.

This is an excellent read in a great series. It is historical fiction at its best. A priest solving mysteries is not new; Father Brown by Chesterton, Bishop Blackie Ryan by Andrew Greely, but my new favourite is Father Gabriel by de Maria. I can easily recommend this book and series!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Fiorella De Maria:
The Cassandra Curse
Father William's Daughter
Poor Banished Children
Do No Harm
We'll Never Tell Them
A Most Dangerous Innocence
I Am Margaret The Play

This Thing of Darkness

Far Distant Shores and Other Stores 

…

Father Gabriel Mysteries:
The Sleeping Witness
The Vanishing Woman
See No Evil

Death of a Scholar

Missing, Presumed Lost

May Day!

…

Skaters Series:

My Family and Other Skaters

The Second Skater of the Apocalypse

...

Nonfiction:
Robert Southwell – CTS Saints of the Isles

Saint Maximilian Kolbe A Hero of the Holocaust

Hugh O'Flaherty The Irish Priest Who Resisted the Nazis

Courage Under Fire Father Willie Doyle, S.J.

…

Books as Fiorella Nash:
The Abolition of Woman: How Radical Feminism Is Betraying Women
...

Author Profile and Interview with Fiorella de Maria.

Come into the Silence 30 Days with Thomas Merton - John Kirvan - Great Spiritual Teachers Series

Let Nothing Disturb You: 30 Days with Thomas Merton

Great Spiritual Teachers

John Kirvan (Editor)

Ave Maria Press

ISBN 9781646800414

eISBN 9781646800421

ASIN B08PJGQDN8

This is the fourth volume in the Great Spiritual Teachers series I have read, last year the first I read was Born to Do This: 30 Days with Joan of Arc by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, and loved it and the concept of the series. I have read much by and about Merton and was excited to work my way through this volume. I picked this as the fourth in the series to read I have had a mixed history with Merton.

First some background between 1998 and 2006 I read about a dozen volumes by or about Thomas Merton. I had taken courses with Michael W. Higgins and read several of his works on Merton. I even attended the International Thomas Merton Society Conference, at the time the only time it had been held outside the United States. Then when I returned to the church I was on retreat the spiritual director advised against reading any Nouwen or Merton. 19 years later on retreat at the same retreat house a different priest recommend volumes by both. I also waffle in my appreciation for Merton, there are times his works and works speak very clearly to me. And others I struggle with ‘why am I reading this?’ I also struggle with his life, he was overly fond of the drink, which is something now being acknowledged more openly, and from my reading he seems to think he has found his place, and all is right in the world then something new and different captures his attention. And he tries to move on. Some of that restlessness is captured in this volume. 

The description of this volume states:

“Come into the Silence is an easy-to-use devotional for all those seeking peace, stillness, and solitude in a busy and noisy world. Part of the bestselling Great Spiritual Teachers series, this book invites you into the contemplative life through the words of Thomas Merton, one of the most popular spiritual masters of the twentieth century.

In his journals, letters, and spiritual writings such as New Seeds of Contemplation, Merton explored the tension between the human longing for both connection and solitude. Merton, a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani, offered a model of contemplative life that allowed him to be deeply engaged with pressing issues of the time, including the nonviolent civil rights movement.

Requiring only a few minutes each day, Come into the Silence helps you realize how God sees you and to embrace his divine vision of you and each person you encounter. This devotional also allows you to reflect deeply on the fundamental longings for meaning, belonging, and intimacy as well as the call to service and social justice in your life.”

About the series we are informed:

“Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.”

I believe there are 15 volumes in this series currently in print, and a number that are currently out of print, The oldest I have seen are from the mid 90’s and it looks like they went through a rebranding and format change in the mid 00’s, and they have undergone yet another rebranding in the 2020’s including some new titles available in the series, including the first in the series I read. I must admit I do not recall running across this series prior to that first volume on Joan. I have however added a number of them to my ‘to be read list’. I love the most recent rebranding, and hope Ave Maria completes the rebranding across all volumes, and brings back into print some of the volumes currently not available; specifically the volumes on John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Mother Theresa and others. But back to this work.

While reading this I only highlighted a few passages, they were:

“So too, what we are is to be sought in the invisible depths of our own being, not in our outward reflection in our own acts.”

“Why do we have to spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be, if we only knew what we wanted? Why do we waste our time doing things which, if we only stopped to think about them, are just the opposite of what we were made for? We cannot be ourselves unless we know ourselves.”

“Help me find some of Your true solitude today, which I know can be present even when I am busy and with other people.”

“I want to find my real self, and I know I can only find it in only You.”

“We recognize the need to be at home with ourselves in order that we may go out to meet others, not just with a mask of affability, but with real commitment and authentic love.”

“Show me your love today and this week. Fill me with Your love, and show me where to show that love to others.”

“MY DAY IS ENDING I have only time for eternity, which is to say for love, love, love. . . . Love is pushing me around the monastery, love is kicking me all around like a gong I tell you, love is the only thing that makes it possible for me to continue to tick. . . . To be led and moved by the love of God: indifferent to everything except that. This is the source of the only true joy.”

“My response to Your tremendous love needs to respond to these situations, too, if I am to be Your hands and feet in the world around me. Keep showing me when, and how, and where I am Your love.”

“Dear God, wipe me clean. Make me a glass that shines through for you. Make me empty of all that is vain and meaningless, so that what people see, when they look at me, is You. I know that the more I disappear, the more You will appear, and the more I shine, the less it will be me who is shining but rather Your love living and shining in me. May that happen. Amen.

A sample day is:

“DAY THIRTEEN

MY DAY BEGINS

It is God’s love that warms me in the sun and God’s love

that sends the cold rain. It is God’s love that feeds me in the bread I eat,

and God that feeds me also by hunger and fasting.

It is the love of God that sends the winter days when I am cold and sick

and the hot summer when I labor and my clothes are full of sweat:

but it is God Who breathes on me with light winds off the river

and in the breezes out of the wood.

His love spreads the shade of the sycamore over my head. . . .

It is God’s love that speaks to me in the birds and streams;

but also behind the clamor of the city God speaks to me in His judgments,

and all these things are seeds sent to me from His will.

If these seeds would take root in my liberty,

and if His will would grow from my freedom,

I would become the love that He is, and my harvest would be

His glory and my own joy.

(New Seeds of Contemplation, pp. 16–17)

ALL THROUGH THE DAY

Your love is what I need.

MY DAY IS ENDING

Dear God,

When Your love surrounds me, I often feel it like

a warm sun; and when Your love asks me to sacrifice something

that I have to sacrifice, it can feel much less comfortable.

At those times, I admit, divine love can feel like human loss.

But You remind me how all of this—both the warmth and the sacrifice—

is part of Your love for me.

You are my life and my all.

And I am learning, with Your help, to be present with

You in every way that Your love comes down.

Give me strength to do that. Amen.”

The volume ends with a section called ONE FINAL WORD that states:

“This book was created to be nothing more than a gateway—a gateway to the spiritual wisdom of a specific teacher and a gateway opening on your own spiritual way. You may decide that Thomas Merton is someone whose experience of God is one that you wish to follow more closely and deeply, in which case you should get a copy of one of the books quoted in this text and pray it as you have prayed this gateway journey. You may decide that his experience has not helped you. There are many other teachers. Somewhere there is the right teacher for your own, very special, absolutely unique journey of the spirit. You will find your teacher. You will discover your path. We would not be searching, as St. Augustine reminds us, if we had not already been found.”

I think that final word is very important. Having now read 4 volumes in this series I find that some speak to me more than others. With one almost every day was like an eureka moment, others are more work and fewer moments. But I can state I benefited from the month with each person being profiled. And if I went back and did a volume again at a different point or season in life I might interact with it differently. I am thankful I took a chance on this one and engaged with Merton in his own words again. It was sort of like visiting an old friend.  

I admit I engaged much more deeply with the first volume I read in this series than the next 2 I read; this one was closer to the first. I have at least a half dozen other books in this series I want to read. I will likely do a volume a month over the next year. I did enjoy this volume. I just did not add any of the prayers to my daily prayers. 

This is a good volume, it is one I really enjoyed reading. But Merton is not to all tastes. I can easily recommend this volume from my experience with it, and I look forward to reading others in the series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books in the Great Spiritual Teachers Series:

Abide in love: the Gospel spirituality of John the Evangelist – John Kirvan 

All Will Be Well - Julian of Norwich and John Kirvan 

Born to Do This - Joan of Arc and Jaymie Stuart Wolfe 

Come into the Silence - Thomas Merton 

Draw Ever Closer - Henri J. M. Nouwen and Robert M. Hamma  

Fear Not the Night - John of the Cross and John Kirvan 

God Awaits You Based on the Classic Spirituality of Meister - Richard Chilson 

Grace Through Simplicity The Practical Spirituality of Evelyn Underhill - Evelyn Underhill and John Kirvan  

Hope Without Borders: 30 Days with Frances Xavier Cabrini - Amy J. Cattapan   

Let Nothing Disturb You - Teresa of Avila and John Kirvan  

Let There Be Light - Hildegard of Bingen and John Kirvan  

Living in the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence and John Kirvan 

Love Without Measure - Mother Teresa and John Kirvan 

Mission to Love: 30 Days with Óscar Romero - Todd Walatka  

Peace of Heart - Saint Francis of Assisi and John Kirvan 

Rejoice in the Lord - Augustine of Hippo and Trenton Mattingly    

Set Aside Every Fear - Catherine of Siena and John Kirvan   

Set Your Heart Free - Francis de Sales and John Kirvan 

Simply Surrender - Thérèse of Lisieux, Caroline Myss and John Kirvan    

That you may have life: let the mystics be your guide for Lent - John Kirvan  

True Serenity - Thomas a Kempis and John Kirvan  

We Are Beloved - Thea Bowman and Karianna Frey MS  

Where Only Love Can Go - The Cloud of Unknowing and John Kirvan  

You Shall Not Want: The Psalms - Richard Chilson 

…

Related Posts about Thomas Merton:

Books:

Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of Thomas Merton - Michael W. Higgins
Thomas Merton: Faithful Visionary - Michael W. Higgins

Point Vierge: Thomas Merton's Journey in Song - Alana Levandoski, James Finley, Thomas Merton

The Wisdom of the Desert: by Thomas Merton 

May Crowning, Mass, and Merton: And Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic -  Liz Kelly

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Essays

Thomas Merton, The Man, the Monk, on Monasticism

Gethsemani Abby A Photo Essay

Quest, Pilgrimage and Sacred Place - An Essay

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Prayer of the Day A Pilgrim’s Prayer by Thomas Merton

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