Life and Holiness may be my favorite Merton book (I especially love the chapter on saints). This post is a good follow up to your previous post. Lax found God's peaceful hills on the island of Patmos. I (like many souls) am filled with anxiety. I wonder where or if I will ever find MY Patmos.
I think you will find your patmos, Brian. I think that we all will, one way or another. I too struggle with anxiety. I think that Merton and Lax did too. There's so much unconscious stuff going on in us that we have no control over.
The thing about Lax that is so extraordinary is how faithful he was to his inner calling toward slowness and simplicity. He had to make a lot of decisions in life to continue to follow that calling. Both Merton and Lax broke the mold of societal expectations. Lax lived a very minimal lifestyle, but he also had to depend on money handouts from others (his family, even Merton who sent him his inherited stock dividends).
I often think of the risk that both Merton and Lax had to take to be who they were.
Glorious. This raised my spirits today !!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth. Blessings
so glad, Phil! It touched me too ...
DeleteThank you Beth !
ReplyDeleteLife and Holiness may be my favorite Merton book (I especially love the chapter on saints). This post is a good follow up to your previous post. Lax found God's peaceful hills on the island of Patmos. I (like many souls) am filled with anxiety. I wonder where or if I will ever find MY Patmos.
God bless !
I think you will find your patmos, Brian. I think that we all will, one way or another. I too struggle with anxiety. I think that Merton and Lax did too. There's so much unconscious stuff going on in us that we have no control over.
DeleteThe thing about Lax that is so extraordinary is how faithful he was to his inner calling toward slowness and simplicity. He had to make a lot of decisions in life to continue to follow that calling. Both Merton and Lax broke the mold of societal expectations. Lax lived a very minimal lifestyle, but he also had to depend on money handouts from others (his family, even Merton who sent him his inherited stock dividends).
I often think of the risk that both Merton and Lax had to take to be who they were.
So well said, thank you so much Beth...
ReplyDelete