Today on the feast day of St. Vincent De Paul, a man who struggled with the poor and voiceless, I am questioning my own efforts at peacemaking, (Teach War No More) and justice (Resurrecting the Rims). Due to my weakness I find myself being ignored, rejected and marginalized on these and other issues. Some call my efforts arrogant and self-righteous. Knowing the poor and powerless are often treated this way does not make me feel better. Looking for words of comfort I found these quotes from Thomas Merton.
“…They [referring to participants in a walk from San Francisco to Moscow plagued with many difficulties] are all concerned about the fact that their own human failings and incompatibilities came out a bit. That is all right, though. It has to be that way. Another form of poverty that we have to accept. We have got to be instruments of God and realize at the same time that we are very poor and defective instruments. It is important to resist the feelings of resentment and impatience we get over our own failings because this makes us project our faults onto other people, instead of bearing their burdens along with our own…” — from letter to Jim Forest, January 5, 1962, The Hidden Ground of Love, p 261
“It is sometimes discouraging to see how small the Christian peace movement is, and especially here in America where it is most necessary. But we have to remember that this is the usual pattern, and the Bible has led us to expect it. Spiritual work is done with disproportionately small and feeble instruments.. And now above all when everything is so utterly complex, and when people collapse under the burden of confusions and cease to think at all, it is natural that few may want to take on the burden of trying to effect something in the moral and spiritual way, in political action. Yet this is precisely what has to be done.” — from letter to Jean & Hildegard Goss-Mayr, January 1962. The Hidden Ground of Love, p. 325.
Maybe being a poor, small, feeble and defective instrument is not so bad, or maybe saying or feeling that is arrogant and self righteous.
Comments
(:commentboxchrono:)