Thomas Merton

Christ Has Come, Uninvited

Steve · December 19, 2015 · 17 Comments

girl — In a Nicaraguan Orphanage. SJG Photo.

It’s almost Christmas. It’s the fourth week of advent. And we wait. But for what?

Well, we say, we wait for the birth of Jesus, of course. We wait to welcome him again to the world because, unlike those people in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, we would make room for him in the “inns” of our hearts. Good answer. But would we?

Actually, perhaps the better question is, “do we?” For certainly the opportunity still awaits us. In his essay, “The Time of the End is the Time of No Room,” Thomas Merton writes:

“Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because He cannot be at home in it, because He is out of place in it, and yet must be in it, His place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied status as persons, who are tortured, bombed, and exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in the world.”

I’m not sure there has been another time in my 55 years that I have felt so much like I was living in a “demented inn.” The world seems wracked in pain — in war, terrorism and every conceivable kind of violence. And yet, Christ comes — has come and continues to come — to us all. Whether we invite him or not, whether we are aware or not, Christ is present. He is not far away, waiting on a high mountain for us to struggle up to him. He is not buried deep in the rubble of history waiting for us to excavate him. Rather, he is standing right beside us, waiting for us to turn toward him.

And when we do that and find him in the comfort of our warm homes, we must be aware of all the others to whom he has come as well. For if Christ lives in us, as we Christians so often claim, then it falls to us to be the sane room in the demented inn, available to others. It is up to us to present Christ to the world, and especially to those who seem to have no room to go to. If Christ’s place is with those who are weak and do not belong, then so is ours.

Chapel wall at Marianist Retreat and Conference Center by Br. Mel Meyer, SM. SJG photo.

For those who do not belong,
For those rejected by power,
For the weak and discredited,
For those denied status as persons,
For the tortured, bombed and exterminated,
For those who have no room,
For the immigrant,
For the victim,
For the persecuted,
For the unjustly accused,
For the ignored,
For those led into lives of violence,
Yes even them,
Christ comes.
Christ is present.
And where am I?

Today’s Word: Seed

Steve · September 2, 2013 · Leave a Comment

harvest — Ferguson Farmer's Market, St. Louis. SJG photo.

My father used to grow vegetables from seed. Beginning in the dead of winter, he would plant seeds (some purchased from the Burpee catalog, some gathered from last year’s harvest) in small containers in our basement, lit and warmed from above by fluorescent lights. By spring, the plants were big enough to be replanted in our backyard garden. This was my first lesson in patience and growth. If we want to see the fruit (and vegetables) of our lives, we have to plant the seeds and wait. Or we have to care for the seeds that someone else has planted.

In his book, A Search for Solitude, Thomas Merton wrote: “Every moment and every event of man’s life on earth plants something in his soul. For just as the wind carries thousands of invisible and visible winged seeds, so the stream of time brings with it germs of spiritual vitality that come to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them…”

God plants these “spiritual seeds” in our lives every day. They are the seeds that may grow into an abundant harvest — a cornucopia of increased prayer, spiritual wisdom, service to others and other fruits of the spirit. These seeds land on us each day, looking for fertile soil that has been prepared by our participation in prayer, worship, scripture and sacraments. Our part in all of this is one of awareness and perception. For being aware that the people and opportunities that enter our lives very well may be gifts and seeds from God, we are better prepared to respond and nurture these seeds into fruitfulness.

Ask yourself in silence: What seeds have settled into my life today? What seemingly insignificant and barely visible moments and people may be calling me to increased faith and prayer? What happened to me today?

God’s Eyes are on His Beloved

Steve · September 22, 2012 · 7 Comments

“But you do see; you take note of misery and sorrow;you take the matter in hand.” Psalm 10:14

JOn — My favorite photo of toddler Jon (about 1990). SJG photo.

I can still vividly recall the scene. I am watching from a distance as my son, Jon, who is two or three, is running around on a playground. He is so immersed in his play that I can see joy oozing from his pores. He is beginning to experience the wonder and power of independence from the parental units, a chance to be on his own and test his own abilities as a human. How fast can I run, he wonders. How high can I climb?

But then he falls hard, tripped up by an untied shoelace or perhaps just the clumsy feet of a toddler. He gets up and looks around. Seeing no one, he resumes playing, unwilling to give up his freedom. But as I walk toward him he sees me and, you guessed it, begins crying and pointing at his knees. Apparently, he didn’t know he was hurt until he saw someone who cared, someone who would scoop him up and take care of him.

Solitude: Finding our own “lonely place” (part 1)

Steve · February 25, 2012 · 3 Comments

(The first of a three-part posting about seeking times and places of solitude in the midst of our busy lives)

“In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” Mark 1: 35

sunset — Sunset in Sedona, 2011, Steve Givens

What surrounds this short piece of scripture In Mark’s gospel is a description of just how hectic Jesus’ life was. He was constantly on the move, walking from town to town, preaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, casting out demons, and dealing with impatient disciples. But in the midst of all this activity, he knew the importance of getting away and being quiet for a while. It’s an important lesson for us all to learn.

We’re all busy and our lives are chock-full of “stuff.” This stuff is mostly necessary, no doubt. We need to do the things we need to do, like go to work, take care of our homes and children and spouses, contribute to our communities and churches, volunteer to help others and good causes, and spend time with our favorite people. It’s all good. But it’s exhausting.