If we can, by God’s grace, turn ourselves entirely to Him, and put aside everything else in order to speak with Him and worship Him, this does not mean that we can always imagine Him or feel His presence.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Do not look for rest in any pleasure, because you were not created for pleasure: you were created for joy. And if you do not know the difference between pleasure and joy you have not yet begun to live.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
“What do you want to want to be, anyway?” “I don’t know; I guess what I want to be is a good Catholic.” “What you should say,” –he told me– “what you should say is that you want to be a saint.”
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
One has to be alone, under the sky, Before everything falls into place and one finds his or her own place in the midst of it all. We have to have the humility to realize ourselves as part of nature.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Silence like the sunlight will illuminate you in God.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
