Finding Our Center

“It is my intention to make my entire life a rejection of and protest against the crimes and injustices of war and political tyranny which threaten to destroy the whole human race and the world with it. By my monastic life and vows I am saying NO to all the concentration camps, the aerial bombardments, the staged political trials, the judicial murders, the racial injustices, the economic tyrannies, and the whole socioeconomic apparatus which seems geared for nothing but global destruction in spite of all its fair words in favor of peace.”

——–Thomas Merton

These words uttered by the mystic monk, Thomas Merton, in the mire of the Cold War and Vietnam are still a clarion wake up call to all thoughtful Christians. We are surrounded by injustice and inequality, but in that muddle Christ-followers struggle to find their souls. Perhaps we should hear the words of Jesus when He says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'(NIV) The Lord calls us to a ministry of caring about the left out and marginalized of our world because they are ALL His creation. We are so easily led astray into our own world of self absorption and ego that we forget that the ethos of the Christian is to care about others. All acts of injustice are offenses to God.

I am not naive enough to supposed that we can solve all the problems of the world, but I would propose that we can begin with a fresh attitude in ourselves. This begins with prayer, meditation, soul searching, and caring when we see or hear things that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus. We are compelled to find our spiritual centers and allow the Spirit of our God to guide us in our daily walk.