Divine Holiness: From “Life and Holiness” by the Reverend Thomas Merton (vegetarian), Part 2 of 2

Let’s continue with selections from Thomas Merton’s book, “Life and Holiness,” where the wise Reverend conveys how we can realize Divine holiness in our daily lives.

“A very wise piece of advice, which St. Benedict gives to monks in his rule, is that they should not desire to be called saints before they are holy, but that they should first become saints in order that their reputation for holiness may be based on reality.”

“If we are to be ‘perfect’ as Christ is perfect, we must strive to be as perfectly human as He in order that He may unite us with His Divine being and share with us His sonship of the Heavenly Father. Hence sanctity is not a matter of being less human but more human than other men. This implies a greater capacity for concern, for suffering, for understanding, for sympathy, and also for humor, for joy, for appreciation of the good and beautiful things in life.”

“We must reflect more deeply than we do on the effect of modern technological life upon the emotional and instinctual development of man. It is quite possible that the person whose life is divided between tending a machine and watching TV is sooner or later going to suffer a radical deprivation in his nature and humanity.”

“The emotions and instincts of man were at work in the sacred humanity of Christ Our Lord: He showed in all things a sensitive and warmly responsive humanness. The Christian who wants to imitate his Master must learn […] by letting grace form and develop his emotional life in the service of charity. […]”

“The true saint is not one who has become convinced that he himself is holy but one who is overwhelmed by the realization that God, and God alone, is holy. He is so awe-struck with the reality of the Divine holiness that he begins to see it everywhere. Eventually, he may be able to see it in himself too: but surely, he will see it there last of all because in himself he will continue to experience the nothingness, the pseudo-reality of egoism and sin.”

“The saint, then, seeks not his own glory but the glory of God. And in order that God may be glorified in all things, the saint wishes himself to be nothing but a pure instrument of the Divine will. He wants himself to be simply a window through which God’s mercy shines on the world. And for this, he strives to be holy. He strives to practice virtue heroically, not in order to be known as a virtuous and holy man, but in order that the goodness of God may never be obscured by any selfish act of his.”