The life of the spirit, by integrating us in the real order established by God, puts us in the fullest possible contact with reality – not as we imagine it, but as it really is.
— Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island
For it seems to me that the first responsibility of a [person] of faith is to make [their] faith really a part of [their] own life, not by rationalizing it but by living it.
— Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island
Jesus said we would know the reality of a person’s faith by how they live. Living our faith means we pay attention to his words and let our lives be transformed by them. It means we let him live in and through us; we follow where he leads.
Grace and peace to you…
dw
I consider that the spiritual life is the life of [one’s] real self, the life of that interior self whose flame is so often allowed to be smothered under the ashes of anxiety and futile concern.
— Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island
In these few words Merton has spelled out the scope of this blog:
It boils down to what I have come to believe is the good news of the Gospel:
Following Jesus leads us from our fake selves to our real selves,
from living in our heads to living from our hearts,
from advancing our own agenda to receiving the gift of His,
from thirsting for the next transient thrill to drinking deeply of eternal life.
I encourage you to consider writing out your answers, either in a journal or in the comments section (as others have done).
Grace and peace to you…
dw
becoming flame 