Merton: the big, warm, sweet interior glow

Sunday, March 6, 2016
Meditation:
    Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
    —1 John 4:1 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The most dangerous man in the world is the contemplative who is guided by nobody. He trusts his own visions. He obeys the attractions of an interior voice but will not listen to other men. He identifies the will of God with anything that makes him feel, within his own heart, a big, warm, sweet interior glow. The sweeter and the warmer the feeling is, the more he is convinced of his own infallibility.
    ... Thomas Merton (1915-1968), New Seeds of Contemplation [1961], New Directions Publishing, 1972, p. 194 (see the book)
    See also 1 John 4:1; Jer. 29:8-9; Matt. 7:15-16; 2 Tim. 4:3; 2 Pet. 2:1
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, lead me to truth, regardless of my discomfort. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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