wisdom for wednesday (eleven[sies])
Today’s weekly wisdom is again culled from Thomas Merton’s great little book, The Wisdom of the Desert. It is a delight to peruse and too often hits squarely between the eyes. The thing that again and again touches me is that the wisdom of these ascetics (people living difficult lives; living in poverty; and often alone for great stretches by choice) is more often than not the offer of grace. Oh, how we need to learn to be gracious. Oh, how I need to learn to be gracious - I am often willing to look at my life through the eyes of grace; but when it comes to the other the lenses of judgement often skews my view.
“An elder was asked by a certain soldier if God would forgive a sinner. And he said to him: Tell me, beloved, if your cloak is torn, will you throw it away? The soldier replied and said: No. I will mend it and put it back on. The elder said to him: If you take care of your cloak, will God not be merciful to His own image?” [Merton p. 76]
And one more today:
“One of the brethren had sinned, and the priest told him to leave the community. So then Abbot Bessarion got up and walked out with him, saying: I too am a sinner!” [Merton p. 40]
