Published 11-29-10
ON TODAY'S SITE:

Thomas Merton, C. S. Lewis, Miguel de Unamuno, Meister Eckhart,
Dhammapada, Henry Van Dyke, William C. Durant, Bob Moawad

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 Photo by Chuck Bowman          All rights reserved


Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together
with God in the creation of our own life, our own
identity, our own destiny ...

The seeds that are planted in my liberty at every moment,
by God's will, are the seeds of my own identity, my own
reality, my own happiness, my own sanctity...

Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self.
This is the man that I want to be but who cannot exist, because
God does not know anything about him. And to be unknown
of God is altogether too much privacy ...

The secret of my identity is hidden in the love and mercy of God...
If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him...
The only One Who can teach me to find God is God, Himself, Alone.



Excerpted from "New Seeds of Contemplation,"
by Thomas Merton
"Thomas Merton: Essential Writings,"
Orbis Books, 2005


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It is safe to tell the pure in heart
that they shall see God, because
only the pure in heart want to.


C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
Irish-born novelist, essayist

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Only in solitude do we find ourselves;
and in finding ourselves we find in
ourselves all our brothers in solitude.


Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936)
Spanish poet, philosopher, essayist

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The outward man is the swinging door;
the inward man is still the hinge.

Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 - c. 1327)
German theologian, mystic

Photo by Chuck Bowman         All rights reserved



What we are today comes from our thoughts of
yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life
of tomorrow; our life is the creation of our mind.
If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind,
suffering follows him as the wheel of the cart
follows the beast that draws the cart.

"He insulted me, he hurt me, he defeated me, he
robbed me." Those who think such thoughts will not
be free from hate. For hate is not conquered by hate:
hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal.


From the Dhammapada (Buddhist texts)
Translation by Juan Mascaro


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Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul.


Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)
American author, Presbyterian clergyman
From "The Prison and the Angel"

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Forget past mistakes. Forget failures.
Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it.


William C. Durant (1861-1947)
Founder of General Motors and Chevrolet