On the advice of my good friend, Andy Searles, I have begun reading and meditating on the writings of Thomas Merton. Merton was a Trappist Monk who spent most of his life in quiet solitude. As an aside, I’ve also started reading a book on the history of monasticism…I don’t have plans to forsake the world to become a monk, but I have long appreciated the call to community of that tradition. Perhaps, in my own way, I too have been a monk, bound by a spiritual rule of life….
Anyway, Merton lived from 1915-1968, so through both massive wars of the 20th century. This book, Thoughts in Solitude,
has already proven to be a wonderful reading basis for my own personal quiet time of prayer and reflection. Today’s reading was particularly powerful.
Laziness and cowardice are two of the greatest enemies of the spiritual life. And they are most dangerous of all when they mask as “discretion.” This illusion would not be so fatal if discretion itself were not one of the most important virtues of a spiritual man. Indeed, it is discretion itself that must teach us the difference between cowardice and discretion….Discretion tells us what God wants of us and what He does not want of us. In telling us this, it shows us our obligation to correspond with the inspirations of grace and to obey all the other indications of God’s will.
Laziness and cowardice put our own present comfort before the love of God. They fear the uncertainty of the future because they place no trust in God. Discretion warns us of wasted effort; but for the coward all effort is wasted effort. Discretion shows us where effort is wasted and when it is obligatory.
Laziness flies from all risk. Discretion flies from useless risk; but urged us on to take the risks that faith and the grace of God demand of us….And sooner or later, if we follow Christ we have to risk everything in order to gain everything. We have to gamble on the invisible and risk all that we can see and taste and feel. But we know the risk is worth it, because there is nothing more insecure than the transient world.
“There is nothing more insecure than the transient world.” Wow. I think Merton was not only reflecting a Biblical truth, but seeing into our future. We now live in a throw-away society where even expensive technology items are considered easily replaceable. And yet, the proponents of this highly fluid throw-away world now fear that we are on the brink of global destruction environmentally. They can’t see their own complicit stance in allowing for the world and its items to become even more transient…and yet, wish so deeply to try to hold onto that world.
Yet, the only way to find true life is to be courageous enough to give up one’s life, to sacrifice all. I think, today in 2016, what really is the enemy of a spiritual life is laziness hidden in gluttony. We are so addicted to ease, to comfort and to excess (both in possessions and in food), that we want to protect that ease. To put forth one’s life, especially over a prolonged period of time, that demands suffering or sacrifice is now so odd as to be seen by many as a mental illness.
Yet, in all phases of life, if we want to move towards any version of success, we must be willing to put aside laziness and cowardice and move resolutely into the required effort. Determine today to not be the lazy person or the coward….but rather be the one person among your group who leads in the work, even to the giving up of your life in His service.