BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

In my devotional reading this morning, I was taken aback by a passage from Thomas Merton.  Merton, you may remember, was a Trappist monk, author, and peace activist, up until his death in 1968.  His writings continue to have a profound influence upon me.  Here’s what I read this morning:

What is the use of postmarking our mail with exhortations to “pray for peace” and then spending billions of dollars on atomic submarines, thermonuclear weapons, and ballistic missiles?  This, I would think, would certainly  be what the New Testament calls “mocking God” — and mocking Him far more effectively than the atheists do.  The culminating horror of the joke is that we are piling up these weapons to protect ourselves against atheists who, quite frankly, believe there is no God and are convinced that one has to rely on bombs and missiles since nothing else offers any real security.  Is it then because we have so much trust in the power of God that we are intent upon utterly destroying these people before they can destroy us?  Even at the risk of destroying ourselves at the same time?  (from A Thomas Merton Reader, edited by Thomas P. McDonnell, published by Doubleday, 1989.)

John Dominic Crossan calls this “the normalcy of civilization,” while pointing out that, while it may be our human norm, it is not the way of Christ.  Jesus was known for turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and loving those who deemed themselves his enemies.  It’s a shame most of us who claim his name are not thought of in such a way, even though our continued existence as human beings may well depend upon our willingness to follow that way. 

Perhaps one day we can live up to the words we so often sing from “O God Our Help in Ages Past”: 

Sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure. 

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday