1.0The Deacon's Benchhttps://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbenchDeacon Greg Kandrahttps://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbench/author/gkandrarich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="8WYXNJO33O"><a href="https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbench/2009/10/mountain-climbing-with-thomas-merton.html">“Mountain” climbing with Thomas Merton</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/deaconsbench/2009/10/mountain-climbing-with-thomas-merton.html/embed#?secret=8WYXNJO33O" width="600" height="338" title="““Mountain” climbing with Thomas Merton” — The Deacon's Bench" data-secret="8WYXNJO33O" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> It had completely escaped my attention, but Doc Mac notes that it was on this day in 1948 that one of the great autobiographies of the 20th century was released, Thomas Merton’s “The Seven Storey Mountain.”  The book had a powerful impact on countless men in the years after World War II, and launched thousands…http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/files/import/assets_c/2009/10/TMertonStudy-thumb-150x190-8285.jpg