Saturday, November 22

Deuteronomy 15 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Reflection:

The encounter with God does not come to people in order that they may henceforth attend to God but in order that they may prove its meaning in action in the world. All revelation is a calling and a mission. ~Thomas Merton

Cistercian monk, Thomas Merton, is convinced that the revelation that God gives to us is ALL about calling and mission. That’s our task! Reading Merton more comprehensively, he is not inviting or allowing room for neglecting our relationship to God or attention to God. However, he is urging us to pay attention to the needs of others, especially the needy and the poor in the land, our land.

Question for reflection:

What do you make of Merton’s assertion? How would your daily life look different if you were to try out the teaching, “all revelation is a calling and a mission?”