05/14/2026
When you think of brass plaques and monuments, they're usually reserved for the spot where the first shot was fired at Concord Bridge or another battle marker at Gettysburg. This one is special. It's the place where Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, had one of the most profound spiritual experiences of his life. Not at a holy cathedral in Germany or France or Italy, but at the corner of 4th St. and Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville, Kentucky. What's that again? Merton was at the corner, when " In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers….There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” Is he telling it right? That he realized that we're all part of God's plan, right there in Louisville? Yes. If only politicians and leaders of nations would have this experience, we might never need another war, or strike out in anger. The truth is, your Fourth and Walnut could be where you are right now. It's a beautiful thought.
