Not about pragmatics
Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 12:00PM "There is a stage in the spiritual life in which we find God in ourselves -- this presence is a created effect of his love. It is a gift of His, to us." - Thomas Merton
Something bothers me about his quote: "There is a stage...." might imply that God's presence only enters us at a certain point of the Christian life, causing one to wonder if he or she has reached that stage. But this may not have been what Merton meant. Perhaps he meant that there is a point in which you become acutely aware that God is within you, though he's been there ever since you let him in.
There is also something beautiful about the quote: the idea that "this presence is a created effect of his love. It is a gift of His, to us." Here's another way of saying that, "I am in you because I love you."
Not just to get something done.
Not merely for the sake of others.
Not to shape you up.
Rather, "I am in you, foremost, because I love you."