"The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little."Thomas Merton quoted in The Buffalo News
I was watching the last hour of 'Rudy' with my daughters tonight and reflecting on how religion, passion and personal vision can be such powerful forces in our lives. This, of course is the message of the film and story of the unlikely hero of the Notre Dame football team. You remember the plot; steel mill workers son overcomes all obstacles to join the mighty football team and ultimately triumphs by being such an unselfish inspiration to those around him that, in the end he is carried off the field by his team mates and into the storied history books of one of the most tradition bound football teams in the land.
Thomas Merton was a monk, philosopher, prolific writer and scholar. His messages of self fulfillment, inner peace and worship are not exactly in line with those of the hero of 'Rudy' but a thin line could be drawn between them...especially in a blog. One could speculate that Thomas Merton, had God on his mind when he strolled and thought deep thoughts. Rudy had God on his mind too as he was eyeing the opposing offense from his position as a defensive lineman and thinking about how he would like to tackle the crap out of the other teams quarterback. God is a mysterious force and how we see God and incorporate God into our daily goals, trials and tribulations is ultimately a personal journey.
I do not know if Thomas Merton ever watched a Notre Dame football game. Probably not.
Posts
