Two thoughts from Thomas Merton…

Two thoughts from Thomas Merton, writer, theologian, poet, social activist and mystic, and Trappist monk writing in the ‘60s, couldn’t be more important and relevant for today – first his thoughts on the danger of nuclear war, and then part of a poem where he is calling for messengers of peace to proclaim God’s law of love.

“I am not a pure pacifist in theory, though today in practice I don’t see how one can be anything else since limited wars (however “just”) present an almost certain danger of nuclear war on an all-out scale. It is absolutely clear to me that we are faced with the obligation, both as human beings and as Christians, of striving in every way possible to abolish war. The magnitude of the task cannot be allowed to deter us. Even if it seems impossible, we must still attempt it. This demands of course a spirit of faith.”

“So tell the earth to shake
With marching feet
Of messengers of peace
Proclaim my law of love
To every nation
Every race”

Thomas Merton – A Book of Hours