Light On Dark Water

Merton Looks at the World, 1960

We despise everything that Christ loves, everything marked by His compassion. We love fatness health bursting smiles the radiance of satisfied bodies all properly fed and rested and sated and washed and perfumed and sexually relieved. Everything else is a scandal and a horror to us.

That's Merton in a 1960 letter to Dorothy Day, quoted in the October issue of Touchstone, in an interesting piece about their friendship. One thing that strikes me about it is that it's still true, despite the degree to which society has changed since then. The enlightened now despise the 1950s, but still essentially value the same things Merton mentions, though perhaps replacing the bursting smile with an ironic smirk.

But has it ever been very different? The world (in the sense that the Gospels use the term) is always this way. If we are significantly different from times past, it's probably only because we have so many more means of pursuing and preserving our comfort and pleasure.

Maclin Horton
,

13 responses to “Merton Looks at the World, 1960”

  1. Louise

    But has it ever been very different? The world (in the sense that the Gospels use the term) is always this way. If we are significantly different from times past, it’s probably only because we have so many more means of pursuing and preserving our comfort and pleasure.
    Well put.

    Reply
  2. Louise

    Mind you, I don’t think Christ minds us having a washed body. At least, I don’t think of washing as being very worldly! Well fed etc – yeah, sure.

    Reply
  3. Mac

    No, I don’t think so. Personally I would have more difficulty not being well fed.

    Reply
  4. Art Deco

    Suggestions:
    1. If someone makes use of the first person plural when he means the second person plural, stop listening.
    2. What he said was stupidly exaggerated. Stop listening.

    Reply
  5. Paul

    But then again,
    1. Given the context, Merton can’t possibly have meant the second person plural.
    2. It might not be entirely helpful to trivialize or minimize warnings about imminent and mortal dangers.

    Reply
  6. Mac

    If he was being coy, I would say it was third person plural he was avoiding. In any case, it seems to me an accurate picture of The World, American version.

    Reply
  7. Louise

    I’m not inclined to think he was exaggerating (except, as I noted, about the washing bit – and possibly the smiling bit).
    I am currently meditating on the difference between puritanism and asceticism. Any ideas?

    Reply
  8. Janet

    A Puritan denies himself certain things because they are evil. I think that the root of this is fear.
    An ascetic denies himself things which are good for the sake of something better. The root of this is love.
    This is very simplistic, but it’s 5:50 and I just woke up.
    AMDG

    Reply
  9. Mac

    Sounds right to me. It can be hard to tell the difference from outside. I suspect sometimes people get credit for being ascetic when they’re really puritan.

    Reply
  10. Louise

    A Puritan denies himself certain things because they are evil. I think that the root of this is fear.
    An ascetic denies himself things which are good for the sake of something better. The root of this is love.
    Oh fantastic, Janet! Yes, that rings true.
    Do you think it’s possible for people to say they believe something to be good (eg marriage) and yet somehow act as though it’s bad?

    Reply
  11. Mac

    Seems to me there have been some examples of that among the clergy over the centuries.

    Reply
  12. Janet

    I agree that that is sometimes true, Louise, and I’ve also meaning to say that while you can delineate the difference between the two, in practice you would probably find that most puritans are partially motivated by asceticism and vice versa.
    AMDG

    Reply
  13. Louise

    Yes, Janet, that seems fairly likely, on the basis that the human heart is pretty complex.
    Maclin, I believe I have “seen” that recently (over the ‘net anyway) in a married man! 😮

    Reply

Leave a comment

Instagram / TikTok / X

Designed with WordPress