Reflection for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

NM 11:25-29

PS 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14

JAS 5:1-6

MK 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

 

“Cleanse me from my unknown faults!”

Thomas Merton, the famous Catholic Monk from the mid-20^th century, was well known for his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, published in 1948. The Merton found within the pages of the book is hot-headed, angry, and arrogant. Like me, he was an adult convert to the faith, and he experienced the strong religious zeal many converts feel in the years following their conversion.

As he travelled further into his faith, he came to regret the raging and vengeful tone of The Seven Storey Mountain. He found himself branching away from Catholicism and exploring the religious traditions of Eastern Asia. He was a deep believer in The True Self, the idea that inside each of us there exists a perfect, unique, and loved version of ourselves. It’s connected to God. It is free from the strains and stresses of worldly life. And in our best moments it peeks out from behind the curtain our False Self has erected around us.

In The Inner Experience, published after Merton’s death, Merton relates True Self back to the Catholic faith. Without God, Merton says, reaching the True Self is neigh impossible. In the words of this week’s Psalm, we need His help to “cleanse” us from our “unknown faults”. God wants us to reach inside and become our True Selves. Ask Him, and He’ll gladly help you on your journey.

Merton took time to adjust to his life in his Monastery. His religious vows, especially chastity and obedience, butted heads with his False Self’s arrogance, lust, and pride. It’s a story we all know. Maybe it’s your first semester at Oakland, and you’re struggling with the shift from high school to college. Maybe it’s your senior year, and you don’t know what’s next. You might be coping with grief, or temptation, or depression. As Merton did, we must turn to our True Selves. We need to rely on God, trust in His love for us and His desire to see us grow. Like Merton, we can deepen our prayer life, attend Adoration, and receive the Blessed Sacrament. God will, slowly and lovingly, pull back the mask of Falsehood and let our True Selves see the light.