Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
Merton’s reply was the most helpful letter I’ve ever received:
Dear Jim,
Thanks for the letter and for the awful, and illuminating, enclosure [about the civilian casualties in Vietnam]. I can well understand your sense of desperation. And the “bleak mood.” And also I am glad that you wrote about it. As you say, there are no clear answers, and you ca... See more
Dear Jim,
Thanks for the letter and for the awful, and illuminating, enclosure [about the civilian casualties in Vietnam]. I can well understand your sense of desperation. And the “bleak mood.” And also I am glad that you wrote about it. As you say, there are no clear answers, and you ca... See more
Thomas Merton’s Letter to a Young Activist – Jim and Nancy Forest
Here in italics is “Letter to a Young Activist” as published in The Catholic Worker interspersed with my own commentary:
What a challenge that is . Any action one embarks on is undertaken with the hope of positive, tangible results. One must have hope that what you do will have an impact. But to the extent you de... See more
Do not depend on the hope of results.
What a challenge that is . Any action one embarks on is undertaken with the hope of positive, tangible results. One must have hope that what you do will have an impact. But to the extent you de... See more
Thomas Merton’s Letter to a Young Activist – Jim and Nancy Forest
In situations like this, it is controlled chaos. I wish I had the code to unlock Michael’s mind. But no such code exists. All I can bring to the conversation are my heart and my trust that God wants me in the midst of this chaos. The imprisoned are the poorest of the poor. If the heart of God is to be found anywhere, it is to be found in the hole.
Gary Smith • Radical Compassion: Finding Christ in the Heart of the Poor
E. F. Schumacher’s Small Is Beautiful
John Michael Talbot • The Lessons of Saint Francis: How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life
The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice from the Civil Rights Movement to Today
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