When you accept what you have, you see all you have received is more than enough and you are overwhelmed. I desire other things because I fear to be content with what I have-I fear it is inglorious. In the last few days I have seen what matters is to be humble enough to admit I am content with just this. Leave the rest to God.
Thomas Merton, September 7, 1958, III. 216 (from A Year with Merton, p. 269)
The word inglorious is a tough one to parse in context of this quote. When I use the synonym finder in Word it brings up unsuccessful, dishonorable and humiliating. I think the first and the last are apt when I look at it in the context of my own life. I think sometimes we are too much of this world to do the good that lies in a state of potential within us.
In America we measure success not so much by the more intangible things, the lives we have helped, the kindness we have shown or the quiet acts of compassion we have done without fanfare. It appears we are unwilling to accept these as enough in measuring our lives. We measure success by things and titles, bank accounts and power. Listening today as the markets shake and perhaps melt down I end up going back to a quote from the New Testament that should refocus us all. It is from Matthew 25:
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Whether you believe in God or the evolving nature of the human spirit this has meaning. We all need to conduct an act of kindness and love today. Really.
1 comment:
Parsing "inglorious" as used by Merton, in his context, seems to me to mean "vain". Or maybe "vainglorious" (is that a word??) But you're the parser, not me. Splitting hairs, that is (and not necessarily nose hairs).
Understand from Dawn that even more folks have bailed out of DAAD. Surprise.
JDB
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