I can only become perfectly free by serving the will of God.
Interpretation
True freedom comes from adhering to one's spiritual purpose and serving a higher power.
In this quote, Thomas Merton suggests that the essence of true freedom is not found in pursuing personal desires or worldly achievements but rather in aligning oneself with the divine will. By serving God, individuals find a deeper sense of liberation that transcends mere autonomy, leading to fulfillment and peace that comes from a higher calling.
In practice
In a sermon about faith and purpose, this quote can inspire congregants to seek God's will in their lives.
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.
Itβs not so much that nothing means anything but more that it keeps meaning nothing. thereβs no release, just gurus and self- appointed gods and hucksters. the more people say, the less there is to say. even the best books are dry sawdust.
There will never be any more perfection than there is now.
There is in most passions a shrinking away from ourselves. The passionate pursuer has all the earmarks of a fugitive.
There is nothing so great or so goodly in creation, but that it is a mean symbol of the gospel of Christ, and of the things He has prepared for them that love Him.
Men grow tired of sleep, love, singing and dancing sooner than of war.
The vast majority, who believe in astrology and think that the planets have nothing better to do than form a code that will tell them whether tomorrow is a good day to close a business deal or not, become all the more excited and enthusiastic.
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