The goal of fasting is inner unity. Thomas Merton More Quotes by Thomas Merton More Quotes From Thomas Merton Music is pleasing not only because of the sound but because of the silence that is in it: without the alternation of sound and silence there would be no rhythm. Thomas Merton silence wisdom sound Sincerity must be bought at a price: the humility to recognize our innumerable errors, and fidelity in tirelessly setting them right. Thomas Merton sincerity errors humility We do not pray for the sake of praying, but for the sake of being heard. We do not pray in order to listen to ourselves praying but in order that God may hear us and answer us. Also, we do not pray in order to receive just any answer: it must be God's answer. Thomas Merton answers may order Perhaps peace is not, after all, something you work for, or 'fight for.' It is indeed 'fighting for peace' that starts all the wars. What, after all, are the pretexts of all these Cold War crises, but 'fighting for peace?' Peace is something you have or do not have. If you are yourself at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world. Then share your peace with everyone, and everyone will be at peace. Thomas Merton fighting war world Music and art and poetry attune the soul to God. Thomas Merton artist soul art Consequently, the truth of God lives in our souls more by the power of superior moral courage than by the light of an eminent intelligence. Indeed, spiritual intelligence itself depends on the fortitude and patience with which we sacrifice ourselves for the truth, as it is communicated to our lives concretely in the providential will of God Thomas Merton sacrifice wisdom spiritual Not only does silence give us a chance to understand ourselves better, to get a truer and more balanced perspective on our own lives in relation to the lives of others: silence makes us whole if we let it. Silence helps draw together the scattered and dissipated energies of a fragmented existence. Thomas Merton perspective silence giving God must be allowed the right to speak unpredictably.... We must find him in our enemy, or we may lose him even in our friend. We must find him in the pagan or we will lose him in our own selves, substituting for his living presence an empty abstraction. Thomas Merton inspiration self faith ...love triumphs, at least in this life, not by eliminating evil once for all, but by resisting and overcoming it anew every day. Thomas Merton triumph overcoming evil Love is perfect in proportion to it's freedom. Thomas Merton best-love perfect love-is I have learned that one cannot truly know hope unless he has found out how like despair hope is. Thomas Merton i-have-learned despair found Our happiness consists in sharing the happiness of God, the perfection of His unlimited freedom, the perfection of His love. Thomas Merton his-love unlimited perfection The meaning of life is found in openness to being and "being present" in full awareness. Thomas Merton awareness found life Who is willing to be satisfied with a job that expresses all his limitations? He will accept such work only as a 'means of livelihood' while he waits to discover his 'true vocation'. The world is full of unsuccessful businessmen who still secretly believe they were meant to be artists or writers or actors in the movies. Thomas Merton wisdom jobs believe True contemplation is not a psychological trick but a theological grace. It can come to us ONLY as a gift, and not as a result of our own clever use of spiritual techniques. Thomas Merton grace spiritual clever If you have never had any distractions you don't know how to pray. Thomas Merton distraction know-how praying This is the crucifixion of Christ: in which He dies again and again in the individuals who were made to share the joy and freedom of His grace, and who deny Him. Thomas Merton crucifixion-of-christ grace joy Thinking prevents the unconscious from speaking. Thomas Merton unconscious grace thinking You cannot be a man of faith unless you know how to doubt. Thomas Merton know-how doubt men Persons are not known by intellect alone, not by principles alone, but only by love. It is when we love the other, the enemy, that we obtain from God the key to an understanding of who he is, and who we are. It is only this realization that can open to us the real nature of our duty, and of right action. Thomas Merton keys real life
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