Saturday, November 17, 2007

Christ in me, yes!

Jesus not only teaches us Christian life; He creates it in our souls by the action of His Spirit. Our life in Him is not a matter of mere ethical goodwill. It is not a mere moral perfection. It is an entirely new spiritual reality, an inner transformation. Thomas Merton

United to Christ—new creation! By the indwelling Spirit God begins to unleash in us the same power that brought the universe into being.

Rebirth is not simply a change of religious parties, but a radical reordering of our whole understanding of life, the world, and our place in it.

These are a few quotes I found in "The Dance of Hope" by William C. Frey. They have given me much to think about.

I found the following a bit mind-bending too:

He shares a story of a particularly discouraging time in his life when someone called and asked him, "Do you believe in the resurrection?" Of course he does, it's what his faith is based on. Again she asked him, "Do you believe in the resurrection?" Again he assured her he did. And then she had the gall to ask him again! He shouted "I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD!" And something about speaking it so forcefully caused him to realize the importance of it in his life and he has never been the same since, in a good way.

I believe in the resurrection, but do I daily live like I believe it?

1 comment:

Michael Krahn said...

Hey,

I am putting up some posts about Merton that you will enjoy:

http://michaelkrahn.com/blog/2007/11/15/thomas-merton-and-the-search-for-true-self-part-1/

Check them out if you're interested.