The Merton Prayer
Compassion and Prayer
Reflection By Scott Stoner
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
- Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton was a Cistercian monk who wrote prolifically from 1943 to1968 about living a life deeply rooted in prayer and compassion. One of his most popular prayers is known simply as The Merton Prayer. I love this prayer for its humility. It is an honest prayer where Merton, who so many admire as a person of deep faith, acknowledges that sometimes even he feels lost in his desire to follow God. I am moved by the vulnerability and self-compassion he expresses in this prayer.
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. / I do not see the road ahead of me. / I cannot know for certain where it will end. / nor do I really know myself, / and the fact that I think I am following your will / does not mean that I am actually doing so. / But I believe that the desire to please you / does in fact please you. / And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. / I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, / though I may know nothing about it. / Therefore will I trust you always though / I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. / I will not fear, for you are ever with me, / and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
—The Merton Prayer, from Thoughts in Solitude, Copyright © 1956, 1958 by The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani
Making it Personal: In what way does this prayer written by Thomas Merton speak to you? Do you see Merton praying for self-compassion in this prayer? What other connections do you see between this prayer and our theme of compassion?