A Year With Thomas Merton - April 28

Walking Heaven's Ground

Heavenliness--again. For instance, walking up into the woods yesterday afternoon--as if my feet acquired a heavenly lightness from contact with the earth of the path. As though the earth itself were filled with an indescribable spirituality and lightness, as if the true nature of the earth were to be heavenly, or rather as if all things, in truth, had a heavenly existence. As if existence itself was heavenliness. The same--Mass, obviously. But with a new earthy and yet pure heavenliness of bread. The ikons, particularly of St. Elias and his great red globe of light, and the desert gold, the bird red on the mountain: all transformed!

April 24, 1964, V.99

A Year With Thomas Merton - April 26

Heavenliness in the Nature of Things

Real spring weather--these are the precise days when everything changes. All the trees are fast beginning to be in leaf, and the first green freshness of a new summer is all over the hills. Irreplaceable purity of these days chosen by God as His sign!

Mixture of heavenliness and anguish. Seeing "heavenliness" suddenly, for instance, in the pure white of mature dogwood blossoms against the dark evergreens in the cloudy garden. "Heavenliness" too of the song of the unknown bird that is perhaps here only for these days, passing through, a lovely, deep, simple song. Seized by this "heavenliness" as if I were a child--a child's mind I have never done anything to deserve to have and which is my own part in the heavenly spring. Not of this world, or of my making. Born partly of physical anguish (which is not really there, though. It goes quickly). Sense that the "heavenliness" is the real nature of things, not their nature, but the fact they are a gift of love and of freedom.

April 23, 1964, V.99