Tuesday 17 June 2008

Continuing with Merton.

People who know nothing of God and whose lives are centered on themselves, imagine that they can only find themselves by asserting their own desires and ambitions and appetites in a struggle with the rest of the world. They try to become real by imposing themselves on other people, by appropriating for themselves some share of the limited supply of created goods and thus emphasizing the difference between themselves and the other people who have less than they, or nothing at all.
They can only conceive one way of becoming real: cutting themselves off from other people and building a barrier of contrast and distinction between themselves and others. They do not know that reality is to be sought not in division but in unity, for we are "members one of another."

What I like about Thomas Merton is that he seems to write from experience. This is no mere observation of what others do...it is what we all do. We know we are acting contrary to the loving power of God that creates us and gifts us and sends us to be life in the world...and yet, we choose other ways of becoming real. But this way...is the way of death. We move ourselves farther and farther away from others and attempt more and more to build our own lives. In that building, we find many and various ways to separate ourselves from others. I may need to be seen as better or to simple see others as less. Whatever the dynamics and the reasoning, we are involved in that ever-present journey that keeps unfolding our brokenness not our blessedness. Our blessedness comes as we are swept up into the unity of all things.

Connection: A good exercise to maintain unity is to simply question the rational for our divisions. It may be a painful experience and we may even choose only point it out but keep up the division. It is a beginning.

Healing Lord, as you continue to offer us new way to break the cycle of our sin, we continue to find ways to stay put. We long for your Spirit to be the power of our lives that brings us together with others so that we can walk with each other along the path of your truthfulness and life. Amen.