Christ Quote by Thomas Merton
““There is a 'movement' of meditation, expressing the basic 'paschal' rhythm of the Christian life, the passage from death to life in Christ. Sometimes prayer, meditation and contemplation are 'death' - a kind of descent into our own nothingness, a recognition of helplessness, frustration, infidelity, confusion, ignorance. Note how common this theme is in the Psalms. If we need help in meditation we can turn to scriptural texts that express this profound distress of man in his nothingness and his total need of God. Then as we determine to face the hard realities of our inner life and humbly for faith, he draws us out of darkness into light - he hears us, answers our prayer, recognizes our need, and grants us the help we require - if only by giving us more faith to believe that he can and will help us in his own time. This is already a sufficient answer.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Movement of Meditation,” 1970s
Meditation mirrors a descent into emptiness, confronting helplessness, then rising to divine light through faith.
In simple terms: Meditation confronts emptiness, then finds divine light.
Key Takeaway
Embrace inner darkness to find light.
Themes
spirituality
humility
faith
psychology
Mood
contemplative
hopeful
Type
theological
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal prayer
- counseling
- spiritual retreats
- creative writing
Key Concepts
theology
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does confronting emptiness affect your faith?
- What practices help you move from darkness to light?
A Different Perspective
May be unsettling for some.
![“T]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people - the new covenant, blood-bought people of God. That's why Paul said, 'Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her' (Eph. 5:25). He didn't give himself up for a…” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a4/mark-dever-3175_blood_t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-bu_3297.jpg)
