Monday, July 18, 2011

A Year With Thomas Merton - July 18


All That Matters Is the Gift

Lately, without reading St. Louis de Montfort or thinking about him in any special way, I have been giving myself more fully to the love of our Lady, abandoning myself more and more completely to the graces she has obtained for me from God and to her direction of my life by that grace in all the things that are happening.

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the seventeenth was a great day. Since then I have felt like a different person. Much more consciously and peacefully united with God’s will. I am more completely determined to abandon all care for my own interests into God’s hands through our Lady, even and especially my highest spiritual interests. I am no longer taking care of my own progress and my own sanctity because it is hopeless. I leave it to Mary’s direction, to the Living Christ within me, acting in me, controlling all that I do for His love. It is true, for the moment at least, He seems to have a much fuller control.

All that matters is to give everything, and the quicker, the better. Fighting, struggling, rebelling, and delaying make it harder, but not more meritorious. On the contrary, less. So it is fruitless to multiply difficulties and delays. Give everything and give it in the quickest possible way. All that matters is the gift. That is what pleases God, atones for sin, converts the world, and leads us into the joys of heaven even here on earth.

July 20, 1947, II.92-93

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