Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder.
Interpretation
Gratitude fosters awareness and appreciation for the present and the wonders of life.
This quote by Thomas Merton emphasizes the importance of gratitude in our lives. It suggests that true gratitude requires an active engagement with the world, prompting us to recognize and appreciate the beauty around us. Rather than taking things for granted, a grateful attitude allows us to continuously discover new wonders, leading to a more fulfilling and mindful existence.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a gratitude journal workshop to encourage participants to reflect on their experiences.
The devil is no fool. He can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. He can make them fear the means of grace the way they do not fear sin. And he does so, not by light but by obscurity, not by realities but by shadows; not by clarity and substance, but by dreams and the creatures of psychosis. And men are so poor in intellect that a few cold chills down their spine will be enough to keep them from ever finding out the truth about anything.
Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny....To work out our identity in God.
Conscience is the light by which we interpret the will of God in our own lives.
You are made in the image of what you desire.
But if you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for.
I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.
When life is too easy for us, we must beware or we may not be ready to meet the blows which sooner or later come to everyone, rich or poor.
Highly proactive people don't blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice.
The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.
The most important thing I can tell you about aging is this: If you really feel that you want to have an off-the-shoulder blouse and some big beads and thong sandals and a dirndl skirt and a magnolia in your hair, do it. Even if you're wrinkled.
The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.
The persecution of genius fosters its influence.
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