Chapter 23:The Woman Clothed With The Sun
Questions for your personal reflection.
To what extent did you find the ideas in this chapter meaningful and accessible? Was there anything that you found yourself resisting?
Sharing with others: What caught your attention or provoked your thinking today?
In the story of the Annunciation Mary is, for me, a person who says an unqualified yes to whatever comes her way. I got the same sense from Merton. He describes her as being devoid of egotism but full of the humility and poverty that are necessary for contemplation. And at this stage in the book I have begun to understand why Merton urges us to “disappear from our own self-conscious consideration” and “be accounted as nothing by the world.” Mary is a model for this way of being. It is possible to see her in this light whether or not one believes in the mythological motifs of the virgin birth and the assumption into heaven.
Posted by Second Thoughts
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many of us who are doing this reading study will relate to this chapter. But what about Merton's description of Mary as a window. Merton says that she was a clear window that let in the Light and the Light wanted to bring attention to the window out of gratitude etc., etc. This is part of him thinking that she is extra special.
Then I thought that we are windows as well. It doesn't have to be a matter of having special status the way Merton gives it to Mary. You could say that the Light passes in and out of everybody. It passes out in the form of goodness.
Would Merton be opposed to that, do you think?
I was really disturbed by Merton first saying we know nothing about Mary and even explicitly criticize those who try to describe her and then he goes on at length to describe her!! Not coming from a tradition that venerated her it was difficult to get what Merton was trying to tell me here. Was she special? did she possess powers or qualities that no one else did? I don't know and how is it possible to say anything except what is in scripture- but once you start extrapolating - to me your tree limb is very shaky!
ReplyDeleteas per the comment above- i found it extremely hard to relate to
post by william