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Thomas Merton, the noted American Catholic monk and author was born today.  Merton spent much of his life at Gethsemane, a Trappist monastary about 25 minutes from my hometown in Bloomfield, KY.  His writings have provided much spiritual food for many people throughout the years.  Below are a few quotes from Merton for your consideration.

A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.

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Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.

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Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved. It leaves all the other secondary effects to take care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward.

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The first step toward finding God, Who is Truth, is to discover the truth about myself: and if I have been in error, this first step to truth is the discovery of my error.

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We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have – for their usefulness.