Blackberry Gathering (1912) - Elizabeth ForbesA COMMON THREAD among some 20th century Catholics was a desire for a simpler life, dictated in part by liturgy, in part by the rhythm of the day, in part by one's locale and auspices of the land. Tolkien lauded this all his adult life through "the Shire" and its inhabitants, hobbits. Thomas Merton went to his hermitage. Dom Bede Griffiths to his ashram. The Distributists to the teachings of the Church and "subsidiarity". E. F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful. (Even James Hilton in his Lost Horizon. Though he wasn't Catholic, we won't hold that against him.)
Is it, do you think, too great a promise by Our Lord that "the meek shall inherit the land" [Mt 5,5]?
2 comments:
As the Franciscan voice on this blog I would say that "meek living" is THE ONLY way! Now, you ask, is it realistic...? If we have little or no fear of the Lord it is unthinkable, if not criminal in doublethink where we live today in a contradictory war against the meek, yet believing we relieve the plight of the meek.
Well said, brother Aramis. The Cistercians, with whom I share time if only as a retreatant but whose member Thomas Merton figures largely in my conversion, honor a profound simplicity and meekness within the framework of the Liturgy of Hours.
I think what proximity to the Altar of the Sacrifice of the Mass serves as is a clarifier of faith and reason that causes us to HEAR the rooster crow that leads to remorse, contrition, repentance, and ... well, meekness.
Something that politicians running in today's fevered secular messianism needs to remember; particularly since this fellow engages in the doublethink/ doublespeak of being the most pro-abortion candidate presently running.
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