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Do not be too quick to condemn the man who no longer believes in God: for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice and mediocrity and materialism and selfishness that have chilled his faith.” ~ Thomas Merton
Merton is, I know, for some, a figure to be distrusted because, towards the end of his life he expressed more than a passing interest on Buddhism, but we do not know where, but for the freak accident which killed him, that might have led, and we should always be cautious, as he suggests here, before we judge others; let us first look at the witness we give.
We are, everyone of us, a witness to God. For the non-believer, as for other believers, we what they think of when they think of God – we are the image of Him, not least for those with no faith in Christianity. How well do we fulfil that task? We can, after all, fulfil the letter of the Law, and we can give the charity, and we can be the most faithful attendee at Mass and at Confession, and we can claim loudly, to the world and its wife, that we have a personal relationship with Jesus, but if we have not love and charity, then none of that matters in the slightest – as St Paul reminded us long ago.
We like to imagine that these things matter only at some kind of grander level, not least because it excuses us from the lack of witness we give in our dealings with the world. God chose to redeem the world because He loves us, and He chose love to redeem the world. He does not choose to redeem us by appearing to each of us and telling us that we are ‘saved’, any more than he appeared to the Apostles to tell them they were ‘saved’. He offers a different – and harder – route – love.
If we are not careful, we end up complicating what He tells us because its radical simplicity is too hard for our fallen nature. How, we ask, can we love those who hate us? How can we turn the other cheek when we know that to do so will be to end up with both cheeks being hit? It is all too hard for us, and so we elevate it to a level. Do we believe rightly? Are we Trinitarian? Do we belong to the tradition of which Paul spoke? These things matter, and they matter because believing in Christ means something more than just thinking he was a jolly good chap who sets an example we’d all be better off following. But in all of this we can forget what Paul told us – none of these things matter if we are lacking in ‘caritas’.
So, as we enter the final part of the Advent season, perhaps we should each of us ask whether the witness we give has the effect of which Merton wrote – and if so, amend our ways?
All Along the Watchtower 
Indeed the actions and words of a lived life are more often the only Gospel that many people will ever receive in this life and therefore, fidelity to faith and obedience to the faith are all that more important: it is our duty and the honor of the Faith once given which we each represent. It is therefore important that we do it well.
Sadly, I am one of those who, even before I knew the criticisms, tried to read Merton and was put off by a ‘certain something’ – perhaps my ‘Catholic Sense’ which I spoke of earlier. It was not only the fascination he had with Buddhism but his disobedience to his vows and his love affair depicted in his personal diary that confirmed my gut reaction. Seems he is one of those people, like so many of us, who we should listen to but not try to emulate. Good advice can come from poor adherents of the faith as well, I suppose. Perhaps he was reminding himself of his own shortcomings in the above quote?
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A Catholic priest at University of Alaska Fairbanks was arrested for a triad of alleged sins including drunk driving, marijuana and packing heat.
Father Sean P. Thomson, 52, told an Alaska state trooper he was drunk and handed over a receipt instead of a vehicle registration on Monday night.
He had a breath-alcohol content three times the legal limit, the Fairbanks Daily News-
Miner reported.
Trooper Christopher Bitz spotted the parish priest speeding and weaving his pickup truck on a rural highway south of Fairbanks near McKinley Village, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
Bitz described Thomson as disoriented during the traffic stop, according to the complaint.
Thomson told Bitz about the .357-caliber handgun in the back of the truck, but forgot to mention the pistol in his back pocket.
The trooper found the 9-mm. handgun in priest’s back pocket and a small bag of marijuana in his sweatshirt.
Thomson admitted he was drunk, Bitz wrote, and refused to take another alcohol test, described as more accurate.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/priest-arrested-driving-drunk-carrying-drugs-guns-article-1.1739800
What the hell is a priest doing with powerful firearms? Ill tell you. The priestcraft is the worlds largest arms smuggler the earth has ever seen. The CC deals in death, not salvation. the cracker is there to keep the faithful fooled into thinking its a religion.
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Really, and you have evidence to show that the Church is an arms smuggler? Do feel free to offer it. Otherwise, all you have done is shown that a priest is like many other Americans. How many Americans do you suppose take pot, drink and own fire arms and drive under the influence?
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Very true. A catholic priest is a human. No different from me or you.
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That is so, but those who profess to be his servants and act in this way should fear the judgment to come.
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Everyone is born unsaved. Everyone need to ask jesus to come in and sup with them. Hell is the same for the little old lady next to you in the pew as it is for good brother Jeffery Dalmer. same for a priest and the same for good brother Lucifer. Same for you, same for me.
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Indeed, but from those who have been given much, much is asked.
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I’ve read some of Merton. He seemed to have a spiritual connection with God that very few of us can even approach.
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BB, please, please show us the evidence, for at the moment your Crown of Ignorance is still firmly in place.
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BTW, in Alaska on rural roads in the winter or summer, priest or no priest, only an idiot would travel without a gun.
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I keep posting bonafide confirmed articles and good brother Chalcedon keeps saying”where is the evidence’
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I ask for evidence that it is the Vatican which is behind these things – which is what you claim. Now, provide it?
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Father Sean P. Thomson, 52, told an Alaska state trooper he was drunk and handed over a receipt instead of a vehicle registration on Monday night.
Now that’s funny. Perhaps he should have handed the cop a pledge card to balance out the impending fine.
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Did you see the movie” a few good men”. the military has a chain of command. The catholic church has a chain of command. The Franciscans take orders from Rome. Arent the Franciscans a Jesuit outfit? These guys don’t operate in a vacuum. They don’t play with millions of dollars and the Holy See doesn’t know about it. Come on, get a grip. this picture you have of clerics sitting around with hands folded in prayer is a fairytail. Its what kindergardeners are told. Rite next to the tooth fairy.. When good brother marciel bit the big weinnie , what was the first thing the Holy See did? Ill let you answer that.
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A good example. It was Jack Nicolson’s character, not the Pentagon, who allowed the ‘Code Red’. Yes, in the hierarchy he owed allegiance to higher authority, but he lied and abused his authority. So it is with every example you cite.
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“Arent the Franciscans a Jesuit outfit?”
What the Sam Hill do you mean? They are both religious orders and quite different.
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I guess you didn’t want to answer the trivia question. As soon as good brother Marciel closed his eyes for the last time, Ratzinger sent Vatican accountants to grab all of the legionaire millions. Too bad about the ruined lifes that the leader of the legionnaire for Jesus left behind. Gimme the money.
Yeah good brother David, a religious order. You can order some guns and heroin thru them.
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That sounds like another of your half truths. Yes, once it was clear that the Order was guilty, steps were taken; or are you one who does not believe in due process?
Like you, I have not seen much in the media on what has happened since then, but why assume the Church is not trying to make amends?
Not sure you actually read the post, Bosco; try it.
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These half-truths and outright lies, as well as the whining about attacking a creep trying to pose as a messenger, are tiring, and bring nothing to the good quality of these posts.
Still, on the subject of Merton, he was an interesting character. Perhaps The Lord took him home at the right time to preserve his soul.
I don’t know the veracity of the letters, but Fr Merton had conversations with Fr Seraphim Rose of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, who was based in Platina, California. A link on said conversation can be found here.
BTW, where is the good Baptist, Mr. Sales? I’ve not seen him comment. We may have had differences, but he always came off as a decent, earnest man.
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Sales has died and gone to hell
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You are entitled to your opinions and have the freedom to express them but this is a very cruel thing to say.
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It is quite disgraceful. Bosco bears witness to the spirit in him – and if he thinks that spirit holy, he needs to pray more and write less.
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I didn’t invent hell nor do I maintain its fires. The god you profess to believe in maintains its fires.
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The rumours of my demise are greatly exaggerated. Mrs Sales is most unwell, and my time is spent with her, as the Christians here will understand. You really are a sorry excuse for a human being, Bosco. May you find God and lose the Devil.
A happy and peaceful Christmas to all here.
GRSS
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Our prayers for Mrs Sales. Christmas blessings.
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Thank you Carl – and reciprocated. I still look in from time to time, but my wife needs my attention more.
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Good to see you Geoffrey. You already know you have my prayers and our best wishes, and we are always here in prayer.
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My thanks, C.
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God bless you and Mrs Sales, Geoffrey, and your family. I hope through the mouthfuls of mince pies there’ll be at least one “While shepherds watched their flocks by night (flocks by night…)…”.
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Many thanks, Nicholas. Mrs S is gravely afflicted, but this is an opportunity to show her the deep love which has sustained us this half century. My best to you and all here. GRSS
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Good to see you, Geoffrey. Christmas greetings to you all, and my prayers continue for Mrs. Sales. You are indeed missed and thought of often.
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Thank you, Neo – and a happy Christmas to you.
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“Yeah good brother David, a religious order. You can order some guns and heroin thru them.”
Provide evidence!
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You are the evidence. A boastfull bag of wind that bows befor the works of mens hands.
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Oh thou thattellest good tiding to zion.
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The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light
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Oh, so you are counted amongst the living, eh Jeff?The best thing you can do for your loved ones is ask Jesus into your heart. And then tell them the good news. Stand on the promises of Jesus. I did. And my daughter is now searching for Christ. Jesus promised to save your house also.
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