By Br James Francis
Lately it feels like I am both. There is a feature film being produced about the life of the great mystic, Thomas Merton, and I am blessed to be playing the lead role, representing the life of someone who has inspired my own spiritual journey. Though I never felt called to enter a monastery, having sensed a Franciscan vocation from the time I was very young, playing the role of Thomas Martin has dramatically influenced the way I feel about living a religious vocation. The biggest thing I hope to communicate is that Thomas Merton, in most ways, was no different than any of us. Yes, he was a great spiritual and contemplative master, but he was also a human being with human desires and frailties. This is something we can all relate to, whether we are living a religious or not. The Trappist habit may look a little different than my Franciscan habit, but as we love to say in our community: we are called to put on the habit of love more than anything else. Watch for the release of Thomas Merton’s Dream in April, 2027.
