a man stripped

A man who is not stripped and poor and naked within his own soul will unconsciously tend to do the works he has to do for his own sake rather than for the glory of God. He will be virtuous not because he loves God's will but because he wants to admire his own virtues. But every moment of the day will bring him some frustration that might make him bitter and impatient and in his impatience he will be discovered.

He has planned to do spectacular things. He cannot conceive himself without a halo. And when the events of his daily life keep reminding him of his own insignificance and mediocrity, he is ashamed, and his pride refuses to swallow a truth at which no sane man should be surprised.

thomas merton: seeds

waiting for answers to life

" many of us have more questions and doubts than deep, meaningful, fulfilling answers. Many things frighten us - finances, the future, relationships, career moves. Many things unsettle us - partners, spouses, bosses, colleagues, friends, children. Many things haunt us - the past, the present, the future. All of us are in search of a clear cut answer to the ever-evasive slippery existence called life. The reality is that we won't find all the answers in religion or spirituality. Some answers, yes but not all. And it's not going to happen overnight. The Spirit of God will supply us the answers we need, when we need them, as we need them. The mystery of God's workings in the lives of human beings will never be curtailed by our feeble human attempts to explain it all away. It'll take a lifetime and eventhen, we'll probably leave this earth without knowing it all. We all learn to get used to the mysteries that surround us.



In time, we will see that not every question demands an answer, because some of life's most meaningful and fulfilling moments happen outside the question and answer forum. It's what we do with the here and now that makes us the human beings God wants us to be..."



jo goh third sunday of lent sermons