Katherine Elliot 2 February 2017
Thesis: According to Merton in order to be a saint one must realize their true self, which is only realized after finding and becoming one with God. Thomas Merton first begins to identify his definition of sainthood by describing things other than humans act like saints in acting as they were intended by God. For example Merton describes how “the little yellow flowers that nobody notices on the edge of the road” (Merton 30) are saints simply for fulfilling their naturally intended role; not attempting to do something or be something that they are not. Merton soon after begins to elaborate on why this process of sainthood is a lot more complicated for humans than it is for anything else. For humans,
In Martin Luther’s Freedom of a Christian Man, Luther describes what he believes should be the relationship between faith and good works in the life of Christian people. His beliefs became integral to the Protestant and Lutheran ideologies. The basis of Luther’s pamphlet was “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” (31) This central thought provides readers dialogue on what is truly a selfless, act and if these acts do in fact have an effect on one’s
In light of Merton’s essays, compare the role of fear and lies as destructive forces in society. Why does Merton consider them to be detrimental? Illustrate your answer with examples from Merton and one other author discussed in class since the mid-term essay.
In chapter two, ‘Francis and His Companions,’ Cunningham exposes the considerable growth in Francis of Assisi’s influence, as he recounts his companions that joined him after deciding to live his life. The chapter is significant because it exposes how Francis of Assisi’s gospel is different from the orthodox Catholic practices, which recognized the pope, as the sole Vicar of Christ. (Cunningham 32). This chapter is important in my life because it reinforces my conviction God is the almighty and all-powerful, and all people regardless of the status of the needed to worship
As a Dominican, poverty is upheld as being praiseworthy because the order renounces materialism such as possessions and family. At the time of Meister Eckhart’s life in the Middle Ages, there was a religious phenomenon known as imitatio Christi or the imitation of Christ; to live how Christ lived. Christ and his disciples lived in povert...
Saint Bonaventure. " The Consideration of God in His Footsteps in This Visible World." The Intellectual Journey. 2nd edition. Ed John Apczynski. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Custom Publishing. 2002. 113-115.
When people announce they are entering a monastery or convent, they are often met with reactions of awe and admiration. Although this decision entails long arduous devotion, it is assumed that this man or woman has made a sound decision. Many are under the impression that a life lived to solely serve God will ultimately bring out the best version of oneself. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Although it is difficult to admit there occasionally is a better alternative than wholly serving God, some personalities are better fitted for other avenues of life. In fact, it can be detrimental to be a part of this lifestyle if one’s personality is so poorly suited for it. The rigid discipline of holy orders can impede natural growth,
Talbot, John Micheal and Steve Rabey. The Lessons of Saint Francis: How to bring Simplicity and Spirituality into your Daily Life. New York: Penguin Group, 1997.
Thomas More was born on February 7th, 1478 in London. As an infant he was taken to the precincts of the church. There the priest instantly exorcised him and quickly baptized him ‘to obtain eternal grace by spiritual regeneration’ (Ackroyd).
Palmer tells it is readers how to live out the paradox of Christianity life of contemplation, and world of action. The fit between the monastic vision and life in the world of action in not always good, and it is important speak those people whom intelligence sound to community further intensely with God. Consistently, it comes the minds of Christians that a life of a contemplation is a considerable mission. Palmer had noticed that “people who live by monastic norms sometimes fall so short,” and that “people caught in the gap between monastic values and the demands of active life sometimes simply abandon the spiritual quest” (Palmer2). Palmer structures of the gap between monastic values, the demands of active life sometimes basically abandon the spiritual mission, and, practices this book to display people that Palmer period “contemplation, and action” is a great spiritual value. Here are an important basics of life people should consider, and live out in Paradox contemplation, light, beauty, darkness, and
In addition to recognizing their betrayal of God, they believe that a sacred life is the ultimate victory. The speaker confesses, “Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain.”(ln.9) The priest also desires to love God above all, “He knew now at the end there was only one thing that counted – to be a saint.”(p.210)
Medieval Christian literature depicts personal transformation as a gruesome, time-consuming process, that is demanding, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. Embarking on the journey to salvation and earning the great privilege of entering Heaven, is one of the greatest challenges anyone could face. Julian of Norwich writes about her unwavering faith and her acceptance of the will of God. Even in suffering she kept her eyes focused, not on her own bodily pain, but on the face God. Aquinas writes of the Cardinal Virtues and how he believes we as rational beings should live our lives, and Dante shows us that even after we die, the way we lived here on earth can greatly impact us, and it would be worth the suffering for us to transform our lives so that we may spend eternity at peace in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Saint Hildegard of Bingen was quite focused on preservation and the natural world, a virtue surprisingly relevant to today’s social justice. Saint Hildegard of Bingen’s ideas on humans place in the natural world display a strain of justice that other theologians could often overlook. Saint Hildegard’s main two notions of justice are those of cultivation and asceticism. The former can be explained as “The role of humanity is that of a gardener in God’s creation… Humans serve the rest of creation best by growing closer to God in love” (Bauerschmidt pgs. 110-111). Saint Hildegard’s justice of cultivation is that if humans do achieve this cultivation, then they have fulfilled their purpose, meaning that treating the natural world with respect and care is the just way to live. This cultivation is an argument against other ideas of justice because it focuses squarely on the way humans interact with their surroundings in the natural world, not just in their dealings with each other and laws. Additionally, Saint Hildegard vouches for a justice through asceticism, or “freeing ourselves from all those things that we consider necessities in order that we can know where to draw the line” (Bauerschmidt pg. 113). Saint Hildegard’s justice through asceticism is a justice of
The saint remarked, “The secret of happiness is to concentrate, visualize, view finer details, have faith, and project emotional and mental energies into your mind. These features are general prerequisites. When a person’s mind is devoid of any thoughts, and he thinks only about a single thought, it gains immense power. Therefore, one must be careful about his thought process. Concentrated thoughts are powerful, and have a strong influence on an individual.”
The Communion of Saints is an article of faith of the Catholic Church. The term expresses the communion in holy things shared among God’s holy people and the concept of unity and holiness among the baptized Christians in Christ. Saint Paul’s greeting in his letter to the Colossians (1:2) denotes that Christians were generally called saints or “holy ones and faithful brothers in Christ.” They were addressed as holy ones since they were baptized in Jesus Christ the Holy One, saturated with the Spirit of holiness, and adopted as children of God the Father. Their dying in Christ and rising in Him through the waters of baptism sanctified them, and their faith in Jesus the Lord and their decision to pursue Christ made them participants of the holy