The Merton Files Part 2

Welcome back for another LIFE Nugget. I am blogging from our meeting hall where I am currently watching over a prayer weekend. So far things have been great. It is cool to watch people come in and out of the building and spend time in prayer for themselves as well as for their neighbors. Seeing people engage in personal time with God is a beautiful sight to behold.

Now I find myself in a quite period where I am the only person here. There is a kind of sanctity in being alone in this building. It is quiet, a fortress against the business that waits outside. An oasis. Honestly I have needed this. It also brings to mind something that Thomas Merton said: "Solitude is not separation." The chance to be alone with God is great. It is calming and peaceful. However, we cannot forget the change to enjoy solitude should never separate us from a world that is lost an din darkness. We must go back into the world that we have left and share Jesus with others. Share our lives, our love and our faith with those that need it.

In silence and prayer we can again be filled with the Spirit of Christ so that it will overflow to others. Solitude leads to sharing.