I got this quote in today’s mail from the Merton Institute and it really resonated for me. The second sentence here is right on target.
Paradoxically, I have found peace because I have always been dissatisfied. My moments of depression and despair turn out to be renewals, new beginnings. If I were [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Thomas Merton’
Paradox of peace
Posted in Christian, Peace, Spiritual, Thomas Merton, Trappist, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton, Trappist, Peace, Merton Institute on August 19, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Merton and me
Posted in Spiritual, Thomas Merton, Trappist, Zen, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton, St. Francis of Assisi, Mt. Irenaeus, mount irenaeus, Karl Rahner on July 31, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Last night I attended a talk given by Walt Chura, SFO at Mount Irenaeus. Walt’s topic was the “Transformations of Thomas Merton.” Walt talked about the similarities between the transformations of Francis of Assisi and Thomas Merton and helped me to more clearly see each man and their journey to God and my own [...]
Truth in silence
Posted in Christianity, Thomas Merton, Trappist, monastic, mystic, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton, religion on June 23, 2008 | No Comments »
If there is no silence beyond and within the words of doctrine, there is no religion, only religious ideology. For religion goes beyond words and actions, and attains to the ultimate truth in silence. When this silence is lacking, where there are only the “many words” and not the One [...]
Meaningless
Posted in Thomas Merton, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton on June 16, 2008 | No Comments »
A friend wrote me about Merton’s quote about illusion and briefly stated that only noise could be measured and that because silence could not be measured it must be the illusion. I think silence can be measured. Have you ever had a disagreement with your spouse? How long before you spoke again? There is silence [...]
Illusion
Posted in Thomas Merton, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, prayer, tagged contemplation, contemplative, Thomas Merton, Trappist on June 16, 2008 | No Comments »
This came in today’s mail from the Merton Institute and there is a profound truth here. All we are with all our noise, war mongering, power struggles, ego drives are illusion.
Those who love their own noise are impatient of everything else. They constantly defile the silence of the forests and the mountains [...]
Merton to the rescue
Posted in Trappist, mindfulness, monastic, mystic, prayer, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton, Peace on June 2, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Lately I’ve been very troubled. I dare say, I’ve been depressed with all the bad news that surrounds us. I’ve been consumed by the myriad troubles of the world because I care too deeply. Today I got a message from the Merton Foundation that resonates for me. I hope it does for you too.
What [...]
On the road
Posted in Christianity, Genesee Abbey, Marian, Peace, Thomas Merton, gratitude, monastic, mystic, prayer, travel, tagged Thomas Merton, Trappist, Jimmy Carter on April 18, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’ve been on the road for four days and four nights. Each day has found me somewhere between Western New York and Southwestern Georgia. Each night I’ve retired in a different motel. I’ve seen some lovely sights. Lots of beautiful spring flowers. I’ve seen lovely azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods, apple blossoms, and flowers I can’t [...]
Counting the cost
Posted in Congress, Energy Independence, Politics, President Bush, Thomas Merton, Trappist, culture, democracy, military, tagged Iraq, Thomas Merton, war, energy prices, michael moore, Quaker on March 25, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Today marked the 4,000th American soldier killed in combat in Iraq. Colonel Dan Smith has a well written piece at Quakers Colonel. I also read a well written piece my Michael Moore at CommonDreams. It is more than a sad story. It is the tragic death of the American Democracy. We’re taxed to [...]
We do not live for ourselves
Posted in Mt. Irenaeus, Thomas Merton, Trappist, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton on March 10, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’ve often heard this especially from Fr. Dan Riley at Mt. Irenaeus, but today this gentle reminder came in the mail from the Merton Institute.
To live for oneself alone is to die. We grow and flourish in our own lives in so far as we live for others and through others. What we ourselves lack, [...]
In all things..
Posted in Thomas Merton, Trappist, mystic, tagged contemplative, Thomas Merton on March 10, 2008 | No Comments »
We must in all things seek God. But we do not seek Him the way we seek a lost object, a “thing.” He is present to us in our heart, in our personal subjectivity, and to seek Him is to recognize this fact. Yet we cannot be aware of it as a reality unless [...]
