“The saint knows that the world and everything made by God is good, while those who are not saints either think that created things are unholy, or else they don’t bother about the question one way or another because they are only interested in themselves.” Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
In reading this statement, it made me think. If Merton believes this, how did he justify his need to rail against the conflict created by racism and war?
The answer came to me that these practices are ego driven and in direct opposition to the idea that we are all created in the i
mage and likeness of God, and each of us deserves to be respected and accepted as equal. It is the ego that makes anyone think that they are better than anyone else or that they deserve more than anyone else. It is this thinking which is responsible for the suffering in the world today.
~jts