"Correcting the Sinner"

1963 is the year that today's extract was written - the book "Life and Holiness".  The language is both of its time and also reflects Merton's setting in a Cistercian monastery.  He writes of correcting, shortcomings, moral disorders and rebellious zeal. 

Does being a Christian provide us with a licence to behave in a way that suggests that we are better than non-Christians?  Is society right to expect better behaviour from a Christian?  According to Merton (and Aquinas, Augustine, Luther, and others) Christian moral duty must have concern for the glory of God at its core for it to "count" or, as Merton puts it, "so that we may not fail to be invited to Your eternal banquet."

How do i recognise the presence of the Divine as Mary did without seeking it out (acting only because i'm looking for that precious invitation)?  There are conflicting views on this within the New Testament.  Jesus tells stories of, for example, the Good Samaritan to illustrate that it is the act of compassion, love, charity that brings us closer to Heaven rather than the following of any rule book or any particular religion; he would not hesitate to heal someone regardless of the day of the week.  But Paul, try ing to get the early Church up and running, is keen to get believers wearing their badges publicly so that non- (or un-) believers see how they behave and want to sign up.

The "burden" is that yes, people do generally expect "better" from Christians.  Our dinner host today told us about a wedding that they had been at as photographers.  The parents of the bride had been rude, unhelpful, condescending even.  As our host put it "unChristian".  Perhaps they would have behaved even worse had they not been Christian?  Hardly an excuse.  These were supposedly educated people, the man an ordained minister, and they acted without common decency, let alone a "sincere and humble concern for truth and for the glory of God's church" (Merton).

It's so easy to fall into judging others.  I will try, as Merton prays, to have:

"radical honesty and appropriate sensitivity".  I will try also to work "to heal at least one wound this Advent."