I’ve mulled over Thomas Merton’s words for several days now.
“Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.”
I usually stay away from generalizations like that — careful not to use words like “every” and “all” in statements. But I don’t believe Merton is overstating the truth here. I think we overlook the truth that each moment of our lives affects us in some way. And that each event in our lives leaves its mark on us, too.
Are we capable of living in this reality — of how we are affected by every moment and every event in our lives — day in and day out? No. We’re not moment-by-moment beings. Oh, we try to harness time, with our clocks and our calendars and our schedules … but time is too fluid and we so often want to live in the finite world.
We get so busy that we overlook our souls, which are invisible. Intangible. Eternal.
And yet … and yet, somethings are planted in our soul, whether we realize it or not. Actions … choices … chance … sovereignty … all of this shapes our souls. Maybe scars our souls. Maybe molds them to be more compassionate … or less. To lean closer to the voice of God … or to turn away.
And maybe the point in all this is to be more mindful of moments and events — and how they affect our souls.
In Your Words: How has a moment or event in your past planted something in your soul?
In Others' Words: From Here to Eternity http://bit.ly/2wQvdQ0 #perspective #quotes Click To Tweet 'Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul.' quote by Thomas Merton http://bit.ly/2wQvdQ0 #faith #perspective Click To Tweet
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Comments 4
That small thing I quick forgot,
the kindness or the scorn
felt for another whose lot
was vouchsafed when born
turned out to be the cot
on which my soul would lie torn
or would enable me to see the spot
where God lives, for one cannot flee
the truth, that the bell tolls for thee.
Author
Andrew: Such a poetic answer. But so true. So true.
I’ve really enjoyed Merton. His writings contain much sensitivity and wisdom. Every second, and then I realize we automatically breathe in, breathe out, constantly throughout life and hopefully stay focused to notice, appreciate, take in, savor the experience. By the way, I totally love the colors and look of the shawl you’re wearing in your website photo–perfect!
Author
I appreciate Thomas Merton, too. I was first introduced to him by my boss, Joe Hutnyan, when I worked at the American Banker Newspaper. (My first job after college.) Merton always makes me think. (And the shawl is from Noonday — a fair trade company.):)