Remembering the Forgotten Merton

Book excerpt: This is the first book written about John Paul Merton, Thomas Merton's younger brother. Neither scholar nor saint, the life of John Paul Merton illustrates there is more than one way to live a meaningful and holy life. His was a quietly incubating spirituality guided by his law of love. He began life singing in a crib and ended his life praying as he lay dying in a dinghy in the English Channel during World War II. This book examines the relationship he had with his famous brother, Thomas, especially in the years before Tom became a monk. It examines, among other topics, the relationship between Thomas, the intellectual, and John Paul, the action-oriented younger brother. As a teenager, John Paul earned the nickname "Wildman," and as an adult he learned to live life to the fullest on his own terms. The bumps and bruises of his life--orphaned at twelve years of age, dismissed from Cornell without his degree, and frustrated in his effort to serve in World War II as a fighter pilot--were faced head on. He lived life as an optimist without losing sight of the reality of his world. Most importantly, John Paul's "journey of hidden holiness" can inspire each of us as we, too, journey onward.