the church of the
ascension
in the city of
new york
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Thursday, April 2
Psalm 142 / Romans 11:1-12 / John 10:19-42
The mystery of God, of the Divine Redemption and of his infinite mercy is generally nebulous and unreal even to men of faith. Hence we do not have the courage or strength to respond to our vocation in its depth. We unconsciously falsify it, distort its true perspectives, and reduce our Christian life to a kind of genteel and social propriety. In such an event Christian perfection no longer consists in the arduous and strange fidelity of the spirit in the darkness of the night of faith. It becomes, in practice, a respectable conformity to what is commonly accepted as good in the society in which we live. The stress is then placed on exterior signs of respectability.
— Thomas Merton, "Life and Holiness." Image, August, 1969.
(contributed by Janine Economides; see March 16)
The mystery of God, of the Divine Redemption and of his infinite mercy is generally nebulous and unreal even to men of faith. Hence we do not have the courage or strength to respond to our vocation in its depth. We unconsciously falsify it, distort its true perspectives, and reduce our Christian life to a kind of genteel and social propriety. In such an event Christian perfection no longer consists in the arduous and strange fidelity of the spirit in the darkness of the night of faith. It becomes, in practice, a respectable conformity to what is commonly accepted as good in the society in which we live. The stress is then placed on exterior signs of respectability.
— Thomas Merton, "Life and Holiness." Image, August, 1969.
(contributed by Janine Economides; see March 16)
