Tags
compassion, peaceable kingdom, receptivity, Thanksgiving, The Hidden Ground of Love, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, tolerance, wisdom
Even though we in the United States are gearing up today and tomorrow for Thanksgiving, the most traveled holiday in our country, I feel a sense of grounding this morning as I sit in my chair, in my own room, looking out at the view that is so familiar to me as I await the dawn. I am settling in to “home” after an inexplicable season (10 days!) of what seems like time out of time spent in seeking wisdom with a miraculous “horde” of 240 people, an event that gave a glimpse of what could be seen as “the peaceable kingdom.” As I breathe into this day with its familiar round of activities, I am heartened by a word from Thomas Merton that calms my soul while it fuels my intention. He says the following:
I think what I need to learn is an almost infinite tolerance and compassion because negative thought gets nowhere. I am beginning to think that in our time we will correct almost nothing, and get almost nowhere: but if we can just prepare a compassionate and receptive soil for the future, we will have done a great work. I feel at least that this is the turn my own life ought to take. (The Hidden Ground of Love, 20)
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 