Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Our Difficult Task Now

Thomas Merton
"And, after all, am I not arrogant too?  Am I not unreasonable, unfair, demanding, suspicious and often quite arbitrary in my dealings with others? The point is not just “who is right”, but “judge not” and “forgive one another” and “bear one another’s burdens”. This by no means implies passive obsequiousness and blind obedience, but a willingness to listen, to be patient. This is our task." 
The Road to Joy, pp 96–97

(I remember thinking once that all the 'love your enemy' stuff didn't apply to me - I couldn't name a single person that I thought of as an enemy, no one who hated me and no one I hated. Things have changed and I'm learning my way around feeling hatred and living and speaking from the point of view of forgiveness. In light of that, I want to offer (link below) another talk by Fr. Rolheiser, one I found true and unsettling. It is nearly an hour long (and all worth hearing) but the first 27 minutes are particularly relevant. Though it is a talk given several years ago, he seem to speak directly to the current situation, and offers the best and most difficult response.)

The Way to Peace

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