This morning, I was using a new Prayer Journal I made, and I came across the above prayer, from a retreat I attended several years ago through my church. The quote is from Thomas Merton, who was an American Trappist monk and who used Meditation and various Buddhist techniques as part of his prayer life. When Pope Francis visited the U.S. several years ago he mentioned the importance of Thomas Merton. His most famous work, and one I would recommend to you, is "The Seven Storey Mountain". Anything Thomas Merton says or writes, I sit up and take notice because I know it is going to resonate with me, and I hope it does with you too.
Here are my thoughts about this passage. First, it reminds me of my favorite poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. This is probably the first reason it resonated with me and caught my attention. The prayer sees life as a journey, not a destination. It talks about the paths we chose and where life takes us; each choice, a tributary from the main road. It talks about how we are kind of "flying blind"sometimes; how we can delude ourselves that we are following God's will, even when we aren't but we think we are. God is sort of like that metal piece on the road at the Cedar Point car ride that keeps us on the road even as we struggle mightily, especially on the curves and the turns. We desire to stay on the road, but sometimes we stray off the road and need to be redirected.
I found this prayer to have particular relevance to my life right now. I fundamentally believe that religion is BOTH a communal and an individual experience. We need a community of believers to lift us up and buoy us when we are down, and we, in turn, can serve as that buoy for others from time to time. I also believe religion is individual. We have to have an interior spiritual life that keeps us going and helps us weather whatever storms we face. There has to be a balance.
Because of the pandemic, my ability to attend Mass has been curtailed at different times this year: first in the Spring and Summer, then a brief respite where I could attend in the Fall; and now I am back to the Winter of Discontent, with even Christmas Mass a big question mark given the infection positivity rate and numbers here in my community. Hence, I am out of balance. When that happens I need to remember to stay on the road, and I need to develop my interior life a bit deeper. I need to widen the path of my interior life as the community path continues to narrow.
As the prayer indicates, I may not know where I am going. Seeing the end of the road is difficult and hazy and I struggle to keep the faith that I am even on the right road. In the end though, even if I seem lost, if I place my trust in God, God is always with me and that desire leads me back to Him. May you continue to trust in God and find your path through this difficult time in all our lives.
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