Divine Holiness: From “Life and Holiness” by the Reverend Thomas Merton (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

Today it is a pleasure to present selections from Thomas Merton's book, “Life and Holiness,” whereby the wise Reverend expounds on how we can incorporate Christian holiness into our lives.

“We do not really appreciate the meaning and the greatness of our vocation. We do not know how to value the ‘unfathomable riches of Christ.’ 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 the strength to respond to our vocation in all 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 to grace 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.”

“It is not enough to make pious gestures. Our love of God and of man cannot be merely symbolic; it has to be completely real. It is not just a mental operation but the gift and commitment of our inmost self.”

“Our time needs more than devout, church-going people who avoid serious wrongs (or at least the wrongs that are easily recognized for what they are) but who seldom do anything constructive or positively good. It is not enough to be outwardly respectable. On the contrary, mere external respectability, without deeper or more positive moral values, brings discredit upon the Christian faith.”

“A ‘holy’ person is one who is sanctified by the presence and action of God in him. He is ‘holy’ because he lives so deeply immersed in the life, the faith, and the charity of the ‘holy Church’ that she manifests her sanctity in and through Him. But if one concentrates on ‘perfection,’ he is likely to have a more subtly egoistic attitude. He may run the risk of wishing to contemplate himself as a superior being, complete and adorned with every virtue, in isolation from all others and in pleasing contrast to them. The idea of ‘holiness’ seems to imply something of communion and solidarity in a ‘holy People of God.’ […]”