“The big problem that confronts Christianity is not Christ’s enemies. Persecution has never done much harm to the inner life of the Church as such. The real religious problem exists in the souls of those of us who in their hearts believe in God, and who recognize their obligation to love Him and serve Him—yet do not!” #Quote #ThomasMerton #Catholicism #Catholic #Christian #Christianity

If you love #peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed - but hate these things in yourself, not in another
#ThomasMerton

"Often, when I’d go in to see Thomas Merton for spiritual direction, he’d say, “How’s it going?”

And I’d say, “I’m doing well!”

And he’d say, “Don’t make much of it; it’ll get worse.”

And other times I would go in really down about something.

And he’d say, “Don’t make much of it; it’ll get better.”

~James Finley

Happy Wednesday, all!

#spirituality
#ThomasMerton
#meditation

#Quotes #Memes #Compassion #ThomasMerton
https://adeaconsmusing.ca

#Quotes #Memes #Compassion #ThomasMerton
https://adeaconsmusing.ca/

An excellent lecture on #ThomasMerton, his study of #Buddhism and his building a bridge between Buddhism and Christianity.

https://youtu.be/Ak9cZ4OE29A

"The person must be rescued from the individual. The free son of God must be saved from the conformist slave of fantasy, passion and convention. The creative and mysterious inner self must be delivered from the wasteful, hedonistic and destructive ego that seeks only to cover itself with disguises."
— Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

I've been reading #ThomasMerton lately and truly enjoying his insights and prose. And in his spiritual questing I find a friend and guide.

“Let there be a place somewhere in which you can breathe naturally, quietly, and not have to take your breath in continuous short gasps. A place where your mind can be idle, and forget its concerns, descend into silence, and worship…in secret.” ~ Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours. #ThomasMerton #meditation #spirituality #silence #NightPrayer

#HappyBirthday , #ThomasMerton, and #thankyou for the #inspiration of your example 🙏💫

#Monday #MondayMotivation #tuesday #spirituality #faith #religion #quote #quotes #meditation #wisdom #life #gratitude #GoodMorning

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

#quote #thomasmerton #art

Any fool knows that you don't need money to get enjoyment out of life.

#ThomasMerton (1915 – 1968)
#TheSevenStoreyMountain 1949
later released as #ElectedSilence 1961

Any fool knows that you don't need money to get enjoyment out of life.

#ThomasMerton (1915 – 1968) #TheSevenStoreyMountain 1949
later released as #ElectedSilence 1961

#Religion #Christianity #ThomasMerton

Measuring Growth
"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." — Joan Didion

“You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the pre
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/01/18/measuring-growth/
#Writing #Culture #Exploration #Language #Learning #Lifestyle #PersonalGrowth #JoanDidion #ThomasMerton

The Truth of the Work
Work is a funny thing, for it represents so much of our identity, yet, if we live well, it's only a small part of who we are. For if this life is about the accumulation of experiences, relationships, knowledge and self-understanding, work adds to each of these things but isn't all of any of them. We want to believe t
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/01/17/the-truth-of-the-work/
#Culture #Career #Community #Productivity #Writing #SimonSinek #ThomasMerton #WaltWhitman

I just read this passage from the #Asian Journal of #ThomasMerton and I love it. [I believe he was quoting from "Ramanuja et la mystique vishnouite" by A.M. Esnoul.]

Merton was an American #Trappist #monk, #writer, #theologian, #mystic, #poet, #SocialActivist and #scholar of #ComparativeReligion. He became deeply interested in #EasternReligions, had been studying them closely for some time, then had a chance to travel to Asia. His Asian Journal is his account of that journey and exploration.

Your brightness is my darkness.
I know nothing of You and, by myself,
I cannot even imagine how to go about knowing You.
If I imagine You, I am mistaken.
If I understand You, I am deluded. If I am conscious and certain I know You, I am crazy.
The darkness is enough.

~Thomas Merton, prayer before midnight mass at Christmas, 1941

#ThomasMerton #Contemplative #Christmas #mass #monastic

"To update Merton’s question: What can we gain by fixing climate change or ending poverty or terraforming Mars if we remain alienated from ourselves? How to cross that abyss?" ~ Fred Bahnson

#EmergenceMagazine #ThomasMerton #ClimateCrisis #climate

Some #quotes are so apposite, they feel like glittering gifts from the Universe:

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?” ~ Thomas Merton

From this excellent piece by Fred Bahnson in #EmergenceMagazine:

https://emergencemagazine.org/feature/on-the-road-with-thomas-merton/

#ClimateCrisis #ThomasMerton #dearMoon

There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun. — Thomas Merton #ThomasMerton