Daniel P. Horan, PhD, a longtime Thomas Merton scholar, professor, and author of a book on Merton’s deep Franciscan roots, sits down to discuss how the Franciscan tradition helped shape the journey and spirituality of Thomas Merton, one of the 20th century’s most influential contemplatives. Horan discusses Merton’s surprising path that led him deep into the Franciscan tradition and the fascinating details as to why he became a Trappist monk instead of a Franciscan friar; how John Duns Scotus’s idea of particularity shaped Merton’s famous teaching about the true self and false self; and how both Scotus and St. Bonaventure informed Merton’s expansive Christology. Lastly, Horan unpacks how a life grounded in contemplation freed Merton for prophetic engagement in the world, inter-religious dialogue, and exploring some of the most pressing social ques ...