One of the writers that I find myself going back to from time to time is the Roman Catholic poet, contemplative and theologian, Thomas Merton (1915-1968). In 1941, he became a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. A Trappist foundation, he lived an austere life there in slience and for some time lived as a hermit. He wrote many books on spirituality, social justice, and pacifism. He was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, with a particular interest in Buddhism and Taoism. His feet were firmly rooted in his own Catholic tradition, but his arms were extended to embrace people from other traditions as well.

I was struck recently by one of his observations about the nature of faith. He recognises that faith is not always easy or straightforward. He is painfully honest about the fact that faith involves struggle and sometimes sacrifice. It makes demands of us. It demands an openness of us that is genuinely willing to be transformed by the love of God revealed in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Merton, this transformation is at the heart of the Christian vocation. For those who sometimes struggle with Christian discipleship or whose faith has become brittle and dogmatic, Merton offers profound words of challenge and consolation:

‘A “faith” that merely confirms us in opinionatedness and self-complacency may well be an expression of theological doubt. True faith is never merely a source of spiritual comfort. It may indeed bring peace, but before it does so it must involved us in struggle. A “faith” that avoids this struggle is really a temptation against true faith’ (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation (London: Burns and Oates, 1962), 81).

O God of Life, eternity cannot hold you nor can our little words capture the magnificence of your kindness.
Yet in the space of our small hearts and in silence, you come close and repair us. Amen. 

Revd Dr William Lamb

Vicar