What is the relation of [contemplation] to action? Simply this. He [or she] who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love will not have anything to give others. He will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of his own obsessions, his aggressiveness, his ego-centered ambitions, his delusions about ends and means, his doctrinaire prejudices and ideas. There is nothing more tragic in the modern world than the misuse of power and action. . . . —Thomas Merton [from Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," July 9, 2018]
I did not make note of when I had the blinding flash of the obvious, but I just could not accept it...realize it...as truth. So I saved it for if and/or when I got it.
Much later I read and saved the Merton quote because it spoke to me.
Just this morning I came across the two, and I realized the truth of my earlier BFO for, to me, they both say the same thing...Merton's is considerably clearer, of course.
According to me, this is the difference between striving for a self-determined objective (no matter how good our intentions, how sacred it sounds) and experiencing the perfect objective which is performed through us by a power greater than our self, God.
That is trust building itself. It seems we start seeing it by looking back...in wonder, usually. Seeing the wondrous result of an unplanned action or unrehearsed word...and feeling humbled that it came from our house...knowing it could as well have come from any other's house and feeling graced.
God is so good to us.
Thank you.
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