Monthly Archives: July 2012

Day 31 I cannot treat other men as men unless I have compassion for them. I must have at least enough compassion to realize that when they suffer they feel somewhat as I do when I suffer. And if for … Continue reading →

Day 30 When I speak of the contemplative life I do not mean the institutional cloistered life, the organized life of prayer. . . . I am talking about a special dimension of inner discipline and experience, a certain integrity … Continue reading →

Day 29 The real moral issue of violence in the twentieth century is obscured by archaic and mythical presuppositions. We tend to judge violence in terms of the individual, the messy, the physically disturbing, the personally frightening. The violence we … Continue reading →

Day 28 One of the great tragedies of our time is that in our desperate incapacity to cope with the complexities of our world, we oversimplify every issue and reduce it to a neat ideological formula. Doubtless we have to … Continue reading →

Day 27 May 21, 1963 Marvelous vision of the hills at 7:45 A.M. The same hills as always, as in the afternoon, but now catching the light in a totally new way, at once very earthly and very ethereal, with … Continue reading →

Day 26 The life of contemplation in action and purity of heart is, then, a life of great simplicity and inner liberty. One is not seeking anything special or demanding any particular satisfaction. One is content with what is. One … Continue reading →

Day 25 It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am, the more affection I have for them. It is pure affection, and filled with reverence … Continue reading →

Day 24 If the salvation of society depends, in the long run, on the moral and spiritual health of individuals, the subject of contemplation becomes a vastly important one, since contemplation is one of the indications of spiritual maturity. It … Continue reading →

Day 23 What truly matters is not how to get the most out of life, but how to recollect yourself so that you can fully give yourself. — Thomas Merton in Seeds edited by Robert Inchausti Today: When I’m focused … Continue reading →